Family Care
by AliasCWN
Summary: After a raid on their camp Tully thinks that taking care of family should be their priority.
1. Chapter 1

**Family Care**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 1

It was a dark night with the moon hiding behind large fluffy clouds; the few appearances it did make were brief and cast a weak light at best. A stiff breeze blew across the endless expanse of sand stirring up an occasional dust devil and blowing tumbleweeds erratically across the landscape.

The lone soldier on sentry duty paused to watch the sporadic progress of the tumbleweeds, his curiosity aroused. One of them, larger than the rest, seemed to have a mind of its own when it came to moving. While the smaller ones rolled along in rapid spurts the larger one moved slower and in more of a straight line. As he watched it it seemed to hang up on something and stopped altogether. When the others began to move again the larger one stayed stationary. As he watched he noticed that several of the other large ones were behaving in the same manner. He wondered if their larger size had anything to do with the way they were moving. The sentry watched them a bit longer before losing interest and turning away to continue his circuit of the camp.

Finishing another circuit the guard paused to locate the large tumbleweed again. It had broken loose and moved closer while he had been gone. Several of the larger ones were bunched together not far from where he stood. He was about to go check them out when one of them got caught by the breeze and rolled past where he stood. He watched as it hung up on a rock before tearing free and continuing on its way. A short burst of wind gave it another shove and it vanished into the darkness beyond the hill where he stood guard. The guard glanced toward the pile of tumbleweeds nearby and shook his head; they would blow on without any help from him.

After the guard moved on the tumbleweeds shook without any help from the wind. The men hiding behind them pushed them aside and crawled behind some nearby rocks. Left to the forces of nature the dry brush soon blew away. Using only hand signals the leader urged his companions to spread out along the bottom of the slope where the sentry paroled. Moving quickly before the guard could return they scattered among the many boulders at the base of the hill. By the time the guard returned they were all safely hidden in the darkness behind the rocks. The sentry stopped to look for the tumbleweeds but they had all blown away into the night. After pausing, he continued his slow circuit of the camp.

A slight sound drew the sentry's attention toward the center of the camp. He smiled as he looked at his watch, squinting to see the time. In the camp he could just make out the shadowy form of his replacement carefully skirting the sleeping forms on the ground.

"Everything okay?" Hitch asked as he climbed the slope to meet Tully.

` Tully nodded. "Everything's quiet, the only things moving out here are the tumbleweeds."

"I like a quiet night." Hitch answered with a grin. "It lets me sleep on watch."

"Don't let Sarge hear you say that." Tully warned with a grin of his own.

Hitch just laughed quietly. "It can be our little secret. You'd better get some sleep; Sarge wants to be on the move early tomorrow morning."

Tully nodded. "See you in the morning." He turned and picked his way down the slope toward their camp. Careful not to bump into the sergeants rolled in their blankets Tully found his own blankets and looked for a clear spot to bed down. Scraping some loose rocks out of the way he spread his bedroll and dropped gratefully to the ground. It had been another long day and he was more than ready to call it a night. Wrapping the blankets around himself he rested his head on his arms and closed his eyes.

There were still a few stones underneath him and Tully had to roll to the side to get comfortable. As he shifted positions he thought he heard a muffled thud. Rolling back to his other side he glanced up to where Hitch stood guard at the top of the hill. In the darkness he could make out the head and shoulders of a darker figure walking along the ridge. Thinking it was Hitch he pulled the blankets higher and went to sleep.

Tully awoke with a start as Troy shook his shoulder. "What?" Tully stiffened in alarm as he realized that it was still night; Troy had third watch and Moffitt was to take over until dawn. "What's wrong?" Instantly awake, he grabbed for his weapon as he rolled out of the blankets.

"Did Hitch take over for you?"

"Yeah." Tully nodded, looking around for the other private. "Why?"

"Was everything quiet when he took over?"

"Yeah Sarge, it was all quiet." Tully peered past the sergeant to see Moffitt climbing the slope toward the ridge.

"He didn't try to wake you about anything?"

"Nothing." Tully shook his head. "What's going on? Where is Hitch?"

"That's what we would like to know." Troy growled.

"What's Doc doing?"

"Checking the perimeter to see if he can find any clues. He thought he might find something on the hill to tell us where Hitch went."

Tully started toward the slope. "Hitch wouldn't just go off without telling anyone."

"I know, that's what has me so worried." Troy admitted. He looked around the camp as he turned to follow Tully. "Nothing seems to be missing."

"Other than Hitch you mean."

"Yeah, other than Hitch." Troy agreed. "When did you see him last?"

"O-one hundred when he relieved me." Tully answered, thinking back. "But I thought I heard a thud just before I fell asleep."

"A thud?"

"Yeah, it was kind of muffled so I wasn't sure."

"Did Hitch hear it?"

"I don't know Sarge." Tully answered. "I rolled over and looked for him and I saw someone walking along the ridge at the top of the hill. I thought it was Hitch; maybe I was wrong."

"Could it have been someone else?"

"I suppose so." Tully replied. "I couldn't see very well and I didn't hear any alarm from Hitch so I thought it was him. What do you think happened?"

"I think someone took him but we won't know for sure until Moffitt finds something."

"I'd better make sure Moffitt's okay; I wouldn't want whoever is out there to get Doc too."

Troy nodded absently. "Good idea, you stand guard so he can concentrate on finding out what happened."

Tully nodded and fished a matchstick out of his pocket. Biting anxiously on the sliver of wood he hurried up the hill to find the British sergeant.

Moffitt had gone to the base of the hill and was kneeling on the ground near some rocks. He turned with his rifle ready as Tully approached.

"Easy Doc, it's just me."

At the sight of his driver the sergeant lowered his rifle and nodded a greeting.

"Troy sent me to stand guard while you look around. Find anything?" Tully tore his eyes from the sergeant to scan the dark desert beyond the rocks.

"It looks like someone was kneeling here recently." The sergeant pointed out some small indentations in the sand not yet erased by the wind. "The rocks sheltered the tracks from the wind or they would have been erased by now."

Tully strained to see further into the darkness. "Do you think they're still here?"

"Not likely." The sergeant answered with a shake of his head. "If they took itch they woud have wanted to get away beforeHitch they would have wanted to get away before he was missed."

"Why didn't they attack the camp; the rest of us were asleep?"

Moffitt shrugged. "Perhaps there were only a few of them and they didn't want to risk a fight."

Tully considered the answer and it made sense to him. The Arabs were mostly armed with antique weapons that put them at a disadvantage when facing soldiers from either side. Both the Axis soldiers and the Allied soldiers carried more recent models in weapons. Even if they had been outnumbered and caught sleeping the Rat Patrol would have most likely won the fight. It never occurred to Tully that it might have been German soldiers who took his buddy.

Moffitt began walking back toward camp.

"Aren't we going to follow their tracks, at least to see what direction they took?"

Moffitt shook his head. "The wind has wiped out any tracks by now Tully."

"But we don't even know if they took Hitch with them."

"We'll get the jeeps and check out that wadi we passed before choosing this one for our camp. It's the only place close by where they could have hidden their mounts."

"Then you think it was Arabs?"

"I'm afraid so." Moffitt admitted. "German soldiers would have attacked our camp."

"If the Arabs took him what do you think they plan to do with him?"

Moffitt didn't look pleased at the question. "I don't know Tully, but it can't be good."

"So what now?"

"Now we are going to go check that wadi; what we do next depends on what we find there."

Moffitt's possible meaning sent a shiver down Tully's spine but he nodded wordlessly. It occurred to him that they might find his friend's body in that wadi, or anywhere between there and the camp. He wanted to find their other driver, but he wanted to find him alive.

"Tully, are you coming?"

Tully jerked at the question and looked up guiltily. "Sorry Doc, I was just thinking."

"There's no sense worrying about what happened until we have more information." The sergeant suggested gently. "It's possible that Hitch chased off the intruders and followed them to make sure they really left.

Tully gave his sergeant a skeptical frown. "Hitch wouldn't do that. If he had seen something he would have alerted us. He never would have gone off on his own like that."

The sergeant turned away without answering. He continued toward the camp, keeping his eyes on the ground as he walked. Tully started to follow but a dark spot near the rocks caught his eye. Veering off to the side he bent and retrieved the object.

Moffitt paused at his driver's actions. "What is it Tully?"

Biting his lip, Tully held up the red kepi he had found near the rocks.

Moffitt took the hat from Tully and ran his fingers around the rim. "No blood." He announced.

"That doesn't prove anything Doc; it could have fallen off before they hit him." Tully argued.

"We don't know that they hit him. He may have gone along with them under the threat of a weapon."

"They must have hit him; he didn't give us any warning. The only way they could have stopped him from warning us would have been to knock him out."

The sergeant paused, not willing to bring up the other possibility. "Let's go tell Troy what we found. I'm sure he'll want to take the jeeps when we go to check out that wadi."

"Why?"

"I'm sure he'll want the extra firepower."

Tully frowned. "I thought you said that there were only a few of them."

"I said it was most likely that there were only a few of them, I could be wrong. At this point all we have is conjecture."

"But wouldn't they have attacked the camp if there were more of them?"

Moffitt shrugged. "Perhaps some of them stayed with the horses. It would have been a lot more difficult to sneak a large group of men up to our camp. I would think that the number of men who managed to sneak up on Hitch would have been rather small."

"They didn't sneak up on Hitch."

"What?" Moffitt stopped so fast that Tully nearly ran into him.

"I said they didn't sneak up on Hitch." Tully repeated. "I think they snuck up on me."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because it's true."

"Í don't understand Tully."

"There were these tumbleweeds…" Tully began. "The big ones were moving funny, you know, different from the smaller ones."

"That makes sense." Moffitt nodded. "The wind would affect them differently, relative to their size."

"That's what I thought too." Tully admitted. "I watched them for quite a while but it was really dark and I couldn't see very well. After a while I decided that they were acting different because they were bigger." Tully looked miserable as he explained his theory. "But I think I was wrong Doc. I think those guys were using the bigger tumbleweeds as cover while they snuck up on us. They snuck up on me Doc; Hitch just took over before they had a chance to strike."

"Tully, they could have just as easily moved in after Hitch took over."

"No Doc." Tully shook his head stubbornly. "They snuck up while I was on watch. After Hitch took over I went straight to my blankets. I had just crawled into bed and was trying to get comfortable when I heard a noise, a thud. I should have checked on Hitch but all I did was look over that way. I saw someone walking along the ridge and just assumed that it was Hitch. Maybe it wasn't Doc, maybe Hitch was already down."

"Perhaps Tully, but it doesn't really matter does it? They did manage to sneak up on us and Hitch is gone; that's the part we need to concentrate on right now, not who is to blame."

"It matters to me Doc. If I let them sneak up on us then I am to blame for whatever happens to Hitch."

"The luck of the draw as it is Tully. You didn't know, you couldn't know, so how are you to blame?"

"I should have watched those tumbleweeds closer."

"Tumbleweeds on the desert….I'm not sure I would have given them any more thought than you did."

"But you weren't on guard, I was."

The sergeant sighed and continued toward the camp. "We'll check the wadi; maybe we can discover something more."

Troy was waiting for them when they returned. He had policed the camp and had everything ready to go. He turned quickly when he saw them approaching. "Well, what did you find? Any sign of Hitch?"

"I think we should check that wadi we passed just before we found this one." The Brit suggested. "I want to take the jeeps, just in case."

"In case we find something or in case we run into trouble?"

"It could be either..or it could be both. It could also be a waste of time." Moffitt shrugged.

"What are we looking for Moffitt?"

"Clues." The Brit answered quietly. "I think we're looking for Arabs but I can't be sure. I'm hoping we'll find more evidence in the wadi."

Troy nodded with a worried frown. As he dropped his head his eyes fell on the bright red cap that Moffitt still held. Noticing his expression, Moffitt held up the cap with a shrug. "We didn't find any blood."

"Keep your eyes open." Troy ordered as he turned toward his jeep. "They may still be around."

The others nodded as they turned toward their own jeep. Moffitt climbed into the back and cleared the chamber of 50 caliber machine gun. Tully reached forward and pulled a machine gun from the holder on the front fender and dropped it on the seat next to him. Troy did the same. At a nod from Moffitt the two jeeps spun their tires and left the camp behind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Family Care**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 2

In the wadi Tully climbed behind the 50 to stand guard while the sergeants searched for clues. They had gone in slow and easy, just in case, but the wadi was empty.

Troy carried a flashlight in one hand and a machine gun in the other. Moffitt carried a flashlight. Kneeling on the ground he searched the hard packed sand for any signs. The night winds had blown away most of the tracks leaving very little evidence behind. The search was slow and time consuming. Moffitt took his time, not wanting to miss anything that might be important. He was acutely conscious of Troy following closely behind him and Tully standing anxiously in the jeep.

Tully kept his ear turned to the sergeants while he kept his eyes on the desert around the wadi.

"Arabs, this proves it."

Moffitt's voice carried to Tully where he stood on guard. Turning, he looked to see what the sergeant had found. Troy stood next to Moffitt pointing his flashlight beam at something on the ground. Tully had to strain to see what had prompted the remark. Squinting, he finally made out the half-buried pile of horse manure. The wind had wiped out the hoof tracks but it had not completely covered the mound of waste left behind by the horse.

"Where do we start looking for them?" Troy asked quietly as he looked up at Moffitt. Kneeling next to the evidence brought home the reality they had all feared. They could no longer pretend that Hitch had just wandered off.

"They have a three hour head start Troy and the wind has covered their tracks. I don't even know which way they went when they left here."

"Guess Moffitt, they have Hitch!"

The British sergeant closed his eyes as he thought about it. "They won't want to hang on to him for very long. The longer they keep him the greater chance there is that he will be rescued or escape. My guess is that they plan to sell him."

"Sell him where?" Troy growled in frustration.

"That's the question." Moffitt answered. "And to whom?" He turned to look out over the dark desert and consider the possibilities. "The nearest slave market I know about is three or four days on horseback. With a prisoner in tow you can add an extra day at least. They can't push him too hard if they want to get him there in good condition. A healthy slave brings more money than a sick one. Even if they gave him a horse Hitch will still slow them down."

Troy growled low and fierce. "Then let's go! I don't want them to get him to the market."

"Just a minute Troy." The other sergeant urged. "There is another possibility."

"Like what?" Troy demanded angrily.

"What if they plan on selling him to the Germans? We have a price on our heads. They could make a rather nice little profit without taking him so far."

Troy stiffened. He didn't know which possibility was worse. Either way they had to find Hitch, and fast!

"What do you want to do?"

"The nearest German base is only four or five hours by jeep?" Troy guessed.

"Approximately." Moffitt agreed.

"They have a head start on us."

"There is that to consider."

"We'll check out the base first." Troy decided. "If we don't find them there we can always head for the slave market."

"We could very easily miss them in the dark." Moffitt warned.

"We'll head straight for the base." Troy answered. "If we don't find them along the way maybe we can get there ahead of them and get Hitch before they go inside."

"How long are you willing to wait? If they don't go to the base we are giving them another day to get ahead of us."

"We'll wait until noon." Troy replied. "If they aren't there by then they probably aren't coming."

"It's risky Troy."

"Do we have a choice? You said we don't know which way they went after they left the wadi. The slave market is further; we can catch them before they get that far."

The Brit nodded his agreement. "There is still the chance that I am wrong but I have to agree, this is the best option we have at the moment. I just wanted to make sure that you understood the chances we are taking."

"Yeah, I understand." Troy admitted unhappily.

"We can't look for tracks until it gets light so I suggest we try to cover some ground before then. The tracks from earlier will already be gone by now anyway."

Troy started for his jeep. "Let's get going. You and Tully lead but keep your eyes open. We don't want them to spot us before we spot them."

The Brit nodded. "It wouldn't do to be spotted by a German patrol either."

Troy stopped and turned back to the British sergeant. Lowering his voice so it wouldn't carry to Tully, Troy voiced his doubts. "Do you think he's still alive?"

Moffitt nodded immediately. "Yes I do."

"All right." Troy sighed with relief. "Then let's go get him."

Moffitt nodded again and hurried to take his place in his jeep. Tully jumped from the back and took his seat behind the wheel. "Tully, take us straight back toward our camp."

Tully twisted to look over at his passenger with a question in his eyes.

"Just to be through." The Brit smiled to take the edge off of his explanation. "Not that I expect to find him between here and there."

"You think they might have killed him? Did you mention that to Sarge?"

"No I didn't, because it is only a remote possibility and he has enough on his mind without worrying him unnecessarily. We'll just take a quick look between here and there since we're headed that way anyway."

Tully bit down on his matchstick and kept his opinion to himself. He desperately hoped that they didn't find anything because he didn't want to find his best friend's body lying in the sand. Swerving slightly he tried to cover as much ground as he could without arousing any suspicion from Troy. If he had been able to see as far as the other jeep he would have realized that his precautions were wasted. Troy had already figured out what they were doing.

Troy drove one-handed, in the other hand he gripped the kepi that Tully and Moffitt had found. He kept wondering why he hadn't heard the Arabs when they took his driver. He knew he was a light sleeper, they all were, they had to be to survive. Yet they had all slept through the brazen abduction of one of their own. As he followed the other jeep in its weaving path toward their old campsite he realized why Moffitt had chosen that path. Like Tully, he anxiously scanned the desert floor, and like Tully, he hoped that they didn't find anything.

Earlier in the night he had been grateful for the clouds, thinking that they were providing a little extra cover for their small camp, now he wished that the moon would show its face. Even though he dreaded finding anything he still wished for more light to search the desert floor. Softer sand would have made driving more difficult but he would even have welcomed that because it would have held the tracks they sought for a longer time against the wind. The horse's hooves barely dented the hard packed sand even before the wind brushed the evidence of their passing away. The desert was keeping her secrets this night and Troy resented her for it.

By the time daylight arrived the jeeps were well clear of the wadi where Hitch had disappeared. They hadn't found any sign of Hitch or the Arabs. All three men were exhausted from lack of sleep and the constant tension. All of them knew that they were exposed out in the open during the day but none of them suggested that they take it slow or stay near the hills. Moffitt picked the trail he thought Hitch's captors might use and followed it.

When the German base came into range they were forced to admit that they had missed their quarry in the dark. Troy began to look for a place to watch the base and the desert around it. There were no hills high enough to watch both the front and the back of the base, forcing them to split up. Troy reluctantly made the decision to split his forces between the two vantage points they found. Tully and Moffitt would watch the entrance to the back of the base while he watched the front gate.

The sun was beating down on him as Moffitt watched the gate at the rear of the base. Lying on a dune about a quarter of a mile from the gate he was able to see over the wall to the activity inside. Shielding his binoculars from the sun to avoid a glare, he scanned the open desert around the base. If the Arabs stayed in the open they would spot them in time but he worried about the low hills that surrounded the base. Horses could sneak in through the hills and get pretty close before they could spot them. Moffitt was acutely aware of how adept the desert tribes were at concealing their presence when it suited them.

Hearing a rustling behind him Moffitt twisted around to see Tully draping a net over the jeep. He noticed that his driver was keeping the netting high on the vehicle instead of draping it all the way to the ground. Realizing that the private was keeping the jeep ready for a fast getaway he turned back to the base. He knew if he gave the word Tully would have the netting free and be ready before he could slide down the slope.

The Germans seemed to be doing an inspection of their vehicles. From where Moffitt lay he could see the armored tanks and halftracks lined up in a straight row along the wall of the base. An officer was walking along the line stopping only occasionally to talk to one of the men standing at attention in front of the line of vehicles. As the sergeant watched the officer stopped in front of one of the tanks. He spoke to one of the men standing in front of the tank. Apparently he didn't like the answer he got because he suddenly swung his right hand. The riding crop he held in his hand slapped loudly in the desert air hitting the offending soldier across the face.

Moffitt winced at the action, feeling angry and embarrassed for the unfortunate German who had angered his commander in front of his friends and fellow soldiers.

The soldier accepted the punishment with hunched shoulders and a lowered head. His companions shifted nervously, taking an unconscious step away from him. The sergeant could hear a voice raised in anger but the words were too muffled to understand. The soldier responded with a jerky nod while keeping his head down. The officer raised his crop again but held the strike. The soldier responded by ducking his head lower and hunching his shoulders even more in anticipation. The officer waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and moved on. The soldier remained tense long after the officer passed.

Moffitt had been so absorbed in watching the officer that he had taken his attention from the desert for a few minutes. The snort of a horse caught his ear bringing his attention back to the hills. Four Arabs rode tired horses out of the foothills onto the desert floor. Moffitt turned his glasses to the fifth horse and its rider.

Hitch looked as if he had had a rough night. There was dried blood in his hair and down the side of his neck. He swayed in the saddle held in place by ropes binding him to the saddle horn. Moffitt guessed that the ropes were the only thing keeping him on the horse.

Hitch's horse sidestepped as one of the Arabs jerked on the lead rope. Hitch grabbed for the horn to keep his balance and missed. He was thrown to the side and leaned heavily toward the mounted Arab. The Arab shouted at him and swung at him with the butt of his rifle. The rifle butt connected with his shoulder and Hitch bit back a cry. The horseman jerked on the lead rope again and urged his own mount toward the base. The horse Hitch rode had no choice but to follow.

"Tully!"

Tully looked up as Moffitt began to slide down the slope toward him. He reached over and pulled the netting from the jeep and threw it in the back. He was in the driver's seat with the motor running by the time Moffitt reached him. "What is it?"

"We have to warn Troy. The Arabs just came out of the foothills and are headed for the front gate."

"Is Hitch with them?"

"Yes." Moffitt confirmed. "But he's mounted on a horse so they will be moving right along. It won't take them long to reach the gate."

Tully bit down on his matchstick and nodded. Easing the jeep forward so it wouldn't alert the Arabs, he stayed behind the dunes to circle the base.

Troy heard them coming before the jeep cleared the rocks behind him. He slid down from his vantage point above the base and ran to meet them.

"What is it?"

"They're coming Troy, four Arabs and Hitch." Moffitt called urgently.

"How does he look?"

"Like he had a rough night." Moffitt shrugged. "They must have hit him on the head to keep him quiet." Moffitt looked over to meet Tully's worried eyes. "You were right Tully, but he looks like he can still fight."

"Is he still on his feet?"

"No."

Troy stopped, worried about what Moffitt would say next.

"They have him mounted on a horse." The British sergeant explained. "His hands are tied to the saddle so he can't fall or jump off."

Troy nodded at the news with relief.

"But that means that we don't have much time before they reach the gate." Moffitt continued.

Troy turned with a quick nod to go for his jeep. The roar of engines sounded from the direction of the base. Throwing the others a startled look, Troy ran for the top of the dune. His heart sank as he dropped to his stomach to watch the base. Two patrol cars and two halftracks were coming through the gate as he reached the crest of the dune. As he watched the two patrol cars forged ahead of the slower halftracks and raced toward the approaching Arabs with their prisoner. Lumbering along behind, the halftracks followed at a slower pace.

The patrol cars stopped in front of the Arabs and a short conversation ensued. One of the Germans got out of the car and walked over to look up at Hitch. Troy saw his driver raise his head and say something to the German. Before the blond could draw back the German reached out and hit him across the face. Hitch reeled in the saddle but he couldn't fall because of the ropes. Troy gritted his teeth and gripped his field glasses tightly.

The German waved toward the base and the leader of the Arabs nodded. Hitch swayed again as his horse was yanked savagely to the side. Kicking their horses into a tired trot the Arabs headed toward the gate with the Germans as escorts.

When Troy didn't return to the jeeps right away Tully and Moffitt joined him at the top of the dune. Moffitt dropped down next to him with Tully on his other side. "What's happening?"

"The Germans sent two patrol cars and two halftracks to meet the Arabs." Troy explained tersely.

"They're going to sell him to the Germans." The British sergeant nodded slowly.

"Yeah." Troy growled.

"At least we know where he is. If they had gone anywhere else we might have lost him." Moffitt tried to reassure Troy.

"They hit him."

Moffitt didn't look over at Troy as the other sergeant revealed what he had seen. His mind was going back to the scene in front of the tank earlier. A sense of dread hit him when he thought of their friend in the hands of the German commander.

"They're stopping them outside." Troy announced.

Moffitt looked at Tully before he turned toward the base. Tully was watching the scene below with his teeth clenched around the slender matchstick in his mouth. Moffitt concentrated on the Germans as the Arabs stopped in front of the gate.

` The four German vehicles parked in a half circle behind the Arabs as they faced the gate. It didn't escape the sergeant's notice that the halftracks were in the center with the faster patrol cars on the ends. He waited with bated breath as the German commander walked out through the gate.

"What's going on Moffitt?"

"I can only guess but I would wager that they are about to negotiate a selling price for Hitch."

Troy growled.

The three Allies watched as the Germans and the Arabs argued back and forth. It took quite a while and the Arabs appeared to be getting more and more agitated as the talks went on. Finally both sides began nodding their heads and smiling at one another.

"It would seem that they have come to some sort of agreement." Moffitt observed.

The German commander pointed at Hitch and two soldiers stepped forward to cut his bonds and pull him from the horse.

The lead Arab threw a hand out to stop them. The other Arabs crowded their horses forward to cover them with their rifles. The German commander smiled at the Arabs and waved the leader forward. Reaching into his shirt he pulled out a small pouch. He bounced the pouch in his hand as the Arab leader stepped forward eagerly.

Troy, Moffitt and Tully jerked as a volley of shots rang out. All four Arabs fell to the ground as the guards on the wall prepared to shoot again if necessary.

"Hitch!" Tully grunted and started to surge forward.

"He's all right Tully!" Moffitt reached for his driver's arm as Tully started to move toward the scene below. "Be careful, we don't want to be spotted. We don't want to warn them that we are in the vicinity."

Tully groaned and dropped back to the ground, his entire focus on his fellow driver.


	3. Chapter 3

**Family Care**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 3

Hitch tried to pull free of his captors as the Arabs fell to the ground. The German soldiers holding his arms laughed and pushed him into the hands of other soldiers waiting to restrain him. They spun him around and produced a pair of handcuffs that were clamped around his wrists. Once he was secured he was turned to face the German commander.

The German officer smiled as he watched Hitch turn to look down at the dead Arabs. "Surely you aren't upset about their deaths." The officer grinned as he looked Hitch over. "From the looks of you they weren't particularly kind captors."

Hitch looked at him but he didn't respond to the dig.

"They did have an eye for horseflesh though." The officer continued. "I am a bit of a horse fancier." He watched as his men led the Arab horses toward the gate. "I have a small stable where I keep a few of the best animals I have accumulated."

"Stolen you mean."

The officer shrugged. "A matter of opinion. You must admit, their owners no longer have a use for them." He smiled as he dipped his head toward the dead Arabs.

"What happens to the ones you don't want?" Hitch asked as curiosity got the better of him.

"Those we don't eat we sell."

Hitch nodded toward the dead men. "Is that how you keep your deals?"

"Why would I keep a deal with the likes of them? They are all thieves and liars. You should understand that. Just how did you fall into their hands Private?"

Hitch stayed quiet.

"Just as I thought." The officer smiled knowingly.

"So what now?"

"Now I will ask you some questions," the officer explained, "and you will answer them."

"Don't count on it." Hitch snorted.

"Oh but I do." The officer smiled. He cracked the riding whip in his hand against his leg. "I'm sure I can convince you to cooperate Private, in fact, I can promise that you will talk."

Hitch snorted again. "Yeah, we know how you keep your promises."

The officer laughed out loud. "I like a challenge Private. I look forward to speaking with you. Before I am through I will break you."

Hitch looked at the crop in the German commander's hand and tried not to show his uneasiness. "You can try."

"Please, defy me. Give me a chance to show you what I have learned from previous prisoners. Believe me Private, they didn't want to talk either, but they did, eventually."

"All of them?"

"Yes, all of them."

The way the officer said it sent a chill up Hitch's spine. Hitch tried to struggle as he was taken through the gates but it was no use.

Troy, Moffitt and Tully watched helplessly as the events unfolded below them. They watched as Hitch spoke to the German commander and they all noticed the subtle change in his posture. None of them missed the sudden tension in his body or the way he tried to shift away from the officer. A moment later the guards grabbed him by the arms and manhandled him through the gate and onto the base.

"I don't like it."

Troy glanced over at Tully and shook his head. "I don't like it either but there is nothing we can do about it now. All we can do is wait until dark. As soon as it gets dark we'll go in after him."

"I don't think I like that officer." Tully declared.

Troy ignored the comment as he watched the soldiers drag the bodies of the Arabs out into the desert. He expected them to form a detail to bury the bodies but they just piled them up and left them there. It didn't look as if they had any intention of returning to dig graves. All three men watched as the soldiers returned to the gate and disappeared inside.

"We should get some rest if we are going in after dark." Moffitt stated in the silence that followed the end of the drama. "Since I had the most rest last night I will take first watch."

Troy nodded, his eyes still on the bodies sprawled in the desert sun. "Wake me in three hours. Tully had watch last night so he can go last." Troy handed Moffitt his binoculars and started to turn away. He paused and turned back to catch the Brit's eye, "Wake me immediately if anything happens."

The British sergeant nodded that he understood.

"I'll cover the jeeps before I turn in." Tully offered. "Just in case any planes fly over." He added.

"I'll help you." Troy volunteered.

"I got it Sarge; I kind of want something to do anyway."

"I'll help you." Troy repeated. "Then we'll both get some sleep so we are ready to go in tonight."

Tully opened his mouth to argue but Moffitt caught his eye and shook his head. Realizing that the sergeant wanted to keep busy too he refrained from arguing and turned toward the jeeps.

"We'll get there in time." Troy said as they draped the netting over their vehicles.

Tully stopped and looked over at the other man.

"He'll be all right." Troy insisted.

"Yeah I guess." Tully admitted. "I just hate the idea of leaving him there at all."

"You're worried." It wasn't a question, Troy made it a statement.

"Yeah." Tully agreed. "They made a deal with the Arabs and they double-crossed them. That kraut doesn't seem very trustworthy."

"But Hitch won't be making any deals with them."

"That only makes it worse." Tully mumbled.

"We're going in tonight. He won't have time to do much before then. You know the routine; they usually let us sit and think a while to make us nervous before they start to ask a lot of questions." Troy reasoned.

"Who are you trying to convince Sarge, me or you?"

Troy looked down quickly. "He'll be all right Tully."

Tully nodded and tucked the corner down on the netting. "I'm going to get some sleep Sarge; wake me when you need me."

Troy nodded without looking at Tully.

Taking the blanket that he had pulled from the rear of the jeep before covering it Tully went to find an out of the way spot to bed down. He couldn't get his mind off of the attack on the camp the night before. It still felt like it should have been him instead of Hitch that was taken. Under normal circumstances he would have felt regret for the deaths of the Arabs, they had been double-crossed and murdered without a chance. But they had taken a human being and sold him for money. Someone not even a part of that a culture. Someone who didn't belong to them. They had taken someone who belonged to him; a part of him; a part of his extended family. Family meant a lot to him, and Hitch, just like Troy and Moffitt, was family. It didn't matter that they weren't related by birth, or even by marriage, they were family just the same. They were related by blood, shared and spilled; by the bonds formed by shared dangers and time spent together. A bond far stronger than some nature provided. Tully wasn't about to forgive them for what they had done. He considered their deaths payback for taking Hitch.

He could hear Troy rolling around in his blankets. It seemed that the other man was having trouble falling asleep too. That gave Tully some comfort, knowing that Troy was as worried as he was about their friend. He knew that Troy and Moffitt would not leave the blond with the Germans. That thought followed him into a restless sleep while Troy still tossed and turned.

Tully rolled over and his blanket caught under his hip pulling it off his back. The sudden influx of cool air woke him. He reached for the edge to cover himself when he heard voices. He wondered why Troy was still on guard duty since the sun had clearly set. Rising to his feet he made his way toward the voices.

"I only heard it a few times and it was faint." Troy spoke in a low voice.

"Are you sure it was him?" Moffitt asked, following Troy's example and keeping his voice low.

"I couldn't be certain, like I said, it was faint." Troy frowned as he tried to recall the sound he had heard. "We're pretty far away and it was carried on the wind…but I think it was him." Troy peered at Moffitt through the gloom. "What other prisoners do they have?"

"I don't know." Moffitt answered. "It is possible that there are others."

"I don't want to take that chance." Troy decided. "I'm going to wake Tully and we're going to go in as soon as it's dark enough."

"The guards will be more alert that early." The British sergeant warned.

"We'll have to take that chance; I'm not letting Hitch in there any longer than necessary."

Moffitt nodded. "All right, I'll go back and stand watch while you wake Tully. Both of you should get something to eat before we go."

"Thanks. We'll bring you something before we get ready." Troy turned to go wake Tully and spotted him standing in the shadows near the jeep. "Tully, how long have you been there?"

"Long enough Sarge."

Troy glanced at Moffitt before looking back at Tully. "How much did you hear?"

"That kraut officer started on him already, didn't he?"

Troy licked his lips and nodded. "I think so."

Tully looked up at the sky and noticed that the stars were starting to twinkle in the velvet background. "ow much longer asre we goingto wait"HHow much longer are we going to wait?"

Troy glanced at the sky too. "Moffitt says it's going to get cloudy tonight. Those clouds are moving fast and it shouldn't be long now. Let's get something to eat; I don't want anybody's stomach growling and giving us away. Once we get Hitch I want to be well clear of that base before we stop for the night."

"Cold rations?"

"Cold rations." Troy confirmed. "No fire to glow and draw their attention."

Troy paced in the sand next to the jeep while he ate the meal that Tully had dug out for him. The faint cries he had heard coming from the base played over and over in his head. He hadn't slept well so he had decided to stay on guard and let Tully sleep. The cries had started toward evening, after the heat of the day had started to diminish. He wondered if the closed windows had muffled any earlier cries to the point that he had not heard them. Had it been his driver? Were there other prisoners, and if there were, what shape were they in? What were his options? He thought about Tully and Moffitt. Just how much could he ask of them without going too far? Shaking his head he pushed those thoughts aside to concentrate on what they actually knew.

They knew the general layout of the base from their hours of observation. The routine of the guards had not changed as darkness fell so they had a good idea where each guard was located and how often they moved. The number had remained the same so they had a reasonable guess as to how many they had to avoid. Moffitt had identified the building where the commander had set up his headquarters as well as the mess hall, the motor pool, and the officer's quarters. They hadn't located the barracks or the supply or fuel depots but none of those were targets on this mission. Troy paused in his pacing to check on Tully.

Tully sat on the net covered fender of his jeep eating his meal.

"Do you know what we have in the way of explosives?" The sergeant asked.

Tully glanced back at the covered jeep and nodded. "We have all of the usual stuff. Hitch made sure we were restocked before we headed out."

Troy did a mental inventory of the usual stuff. He wanted a few charges to use as distractions if they ran into any resistance on their way out.

"This isn't your fault Sarge."

Troy looked up at Tully in surprise. "I know Tully, but he is my responsibility. It's my job to get him back if at all possible."

"Is that all we are?"

What do you mean?"

"I mean, is that all we are to you, a job? Just another responsibility?"

"Tully?"

"I just thought that we meant more." Tully rolled his matchstick in agitation. "We're friends aren't we?"

"Of course! I didn't mean it that way! I want him back Tully! Not just him, I'd feel the same if it were you or Moffitt in there! I just can't let my personal feelings interfere with my duties. It can't affect my decisions. I thought you all understood that." Troy added more somberly.

Tully lowered his head and nodded slowly. "We do understand Sarge, but it's still nice to know that it isn't all duty. I feel the same way about you guys. You're like family, and I was always taught that you take care of your family."

"We're doing that Tully. We're going to take care of him. We're going to get him back."

Tully nodded again but there was a faraway look in his eyes.

"You okay?" Troy asked with concern.

"Yeah Sarge, just thinking."

"About what?"

"Family."

Troy smiled and nodded. "Finish eating Tully and let's go take care of family. I'll take Moffitt something to eat."

Moffitt turned as Troy climbed the slope with his meal. "Are we ready?"

"As soon as you finish eating." Troy confirmed.

"Is Tully all right?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't he be?"

Moffitt shrugged and glanced down at the jeeps. "He thinks that the Arabs snuck up on our camp while he was on guard and Hitch took over before they had time to attack him. He thinks it should have been him."

Troy grimaced. "I guess there is more than enough guilt to go around. I don't think it makes any difference who was on guard at the time."

"Apparently it does to Tully." Moffitt answered quietly. "He says Hitch is family and you take care of family. That concept is very important to Tully. Let's not forget that his whole life revolved around his family before he joined the Army. Now we're his family and he feels protective of us. It's only natural that he would be worried about Hitch."

"We all are Moffitt." Troy growled.

"True, but Tully is closest to Hitch and he has the strongest family ties of all of us."

"I just hope he doesn't take any unnecessary chances because of it." Troy growled to hide his worry.

Moffitt shrugged. "Tully is Tully. He'll do his job and take care of the rest of us." Moffitt smiled fondly.

Troy had to agree with Moffitt's assessment but it didn't relieve the worry. "I think it's time to go. Those clouds are moving in fast and the moon will be covered by the time we reach the wall."

"One last check on the guards and I will be down."

Tully had finished his meal and was burying his garbage when Troy returned. "Moffitt will be down in a minute."

Tully nodded wordlessly.

When Moffitt joined them and the three of them picked their way carefully toward the wall surrounding the base. The night sky had darkened with the arrival of the massive clouds and the moon was once again blocked from lighting the desert below. Troy thought about the previous night and hoped that he wouldn't be given any reason to once again regret their presence. Using every bit of darkness to their advantage, the three men approached the base.

Troy, in the lead, paused at the base of the wall and waited as one of the guards patrolled the top of the wall above their heads. He waited until the guard turned a corner before giving the signal to move.

Moffitt handed Tully his weapon and waited for Troy to cup his hands. When Troy obliged Moffitt put a foot into Troy's hands and bounced on his other foot. Troy lifted as Moffitt pushed himself off the ground. Reaching as high as he could Moffitt was able to catch his fingers on the top edge of the wall. Troy shifted his grip and pushed the British sergeant's foot higher, giving him the boost he needed to pull himself onto the top of the wall. Tully handed him his weapon and Moffitt dropped soundlessly to the ground on the other side.

Tully and Troy waited to see if an alarm was sounded. Both men relaxed a bit as the base remained quiet. Once the guards had made another pass Tully propped his machine gun against the wall and Troy helped him to the top. He leaned down and Troy handed him both weapons. Placing them on top of the wall, Tully made sure they wouldn't get bumped as he leaned down to offer Troy a hand. Troy gripped Tully's hand and pulled himself up to sit next to Tully. With one quick glance around he dropped down on the other side. Tully handed him both weapons before following him down. Moffitt stood in the shadows and waved them to cover. The three of them huddled in the darkness of an alley and took their bearings.

A low cry tore through the still night air. Tully froze against the rough surface of the wall against his back and listened. The cry was not repeated but Tully noticed that Troy was straining to hear it too. Tully thought that he heard a moan but that too was too low to be certain.

Troy shook himself and motioned for the others to follow him. They had only gone a few steps when the cry carried to their ears again. Louder this time, it lasted longer, dropping off to a keening moan. There was a third cry and then silence once again. All three men clenched their jaws and kept moving.


	4. Chapter 4

**Family Care**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 4

They were almost to the German headquarters when the haunting cry was repeated. All three men froze and listened in silence. Troy didn't look at the others; he knew they would recognize the source too. It wasn't often that they heard Hitch cry out in such agony but there was no longer any doubt in his mind that the cry was coming from his missing driver. As the echoes of the cry died away Troy began to move again. Despite their urgency he was more cautious now as they got closer to the center of the base. There were more guards to avoid and these guards were more conscientious, almost as if they were afraid they were being inspected without their knowledge.

A squad of soldiers marched down the street toward where the three intruders hid. Moffitt reached out and touched Troy's arm, jerking his head toward the approaching Germans. Troy nodded and began to look for a better hiding place. A large ten wheeled truck was parked next to the side of a nearby building with a heavy tarp enclosing the back. Troy sent Tully to check it out while he and Moffitt watched the approaching squad.

"Clear." Tully's whisper was just loud enough to be heard. Troy tapped Moffitt on the arm and hurried to the rear of the truck. Tully stood watch while they slipped over the tailgate and hid inside. With one final check to make sure that they hadn't been spotted Tully joined them.

Stepping over the tailgate Tully reached behind him to pull the tarp back into place. There wasn't time to be more precise as the German squad neared the truck. The space in the truck was tight for the three of them as they huddled in the dark and listened to the approaching footsteps. None of them dared to move for fear of rocking the truck or moving the tarp while the soldiers might notice.

The squad came closer without any pause as each of the soldiers marched in step. All three men pictured the soldiers in their heads and tried to imagine what they were doing. It was pretty easy as long as they kept marching.

None of them heard the other set of footsteps approach from the other direction. The single set was drowned out by the sounds of the squad. The first indication that something was wrong was when they felt the truck rock under the weight of the soldier climbing into the cab. The engine roared to life and the truck lurched as the driver shifted it into gear. The German squad paused to let the truck pull out into the street.

There was nothing to be done but wait to see where the truck was being taken. The driver drove the truck down the street directly in front of the building they were trying to reach. Moffitt cut a small slit in the canvas tarp and watched as the building flashed by and was left behind.

Troy cut another slit in the other side of the tarp so he could see the other side of the street. Both sergeants sighed as the truck carried them further and further from their target. In unspoken agreement they sat down on the crates in the back of the truck and waited for it to stop. It rumbled on for several minutes traveling from one side of the base to the other. When it finally stopped it was in a part of the base that they hadn't been able to see earlier.

Troy moved across the truck to join Moffitt, careful not to rock the truck as he shifted sides. Tully crouched by the tailgate ready to act if the driver tried to look behind the tarp. He held his deadly knife close to his body so he could strike fast and silent.

"Where are we?" Troy whispered into Moffitt's ear. He kept his voice low enough that even Tully couldn't hear him.

Moffitt shrugged. "I believe this may be their supply building."

Troy looked around quickly. "We'd better find a place to hide in case they decide to unload this truck."

"Too risky." Moffitt warned. "There are workers everywhere. I doubt that we could get out of here undetected."

Troy looked around at their current prison. "We can at least get behind these boxes in case they decide to look inside."

The other sergeant nodded and motioned for Troy to go ahead of him. Moving cautiously to avoid rocking the truck Troy climbed over the boxes until he found a small space near the front of the truck that he could fit into. Sliding in between two crates he ducked as low as he could and looked at Moffitt for approval.

"I can't see you from here so they won't be able to see you from the ground." The Brit assured him. Moffitt found a long narrow space along the side of the truck where he could stretch out and stay low.

Tully went to the other side and squeezed between two stacks of boxes marked explosives.

"Troy!"

Troy kept his head down as he answered Moffitt's urgent whisper. "What?"

"We may want to avoid fighting our way out of here."

"Why?"

"Because I am sitting on a crate full of hand grenades."

Troy's eyes widened.

"That's not all." Tully whispered. "There's a crate of 88 shells here too."

Troy groaned. "We're sitting among enough explosives to send us all into next week."

"Exactly." The Brit agreed with a wry smile.

"Sarge, why don't we use this as a distraction?"

"Distraction? Tully we're right on top of it!"

"Right now we are Sarge, but once we get Hitch we can blow this truck to draw the attention this way while we go out the way we came in."

"And how are we going to do that Tully? Did you find some timers in one of these boxes?"

"No." Tully answered.

"So…" Troy began.

"But I brought some with me from the jeep." Tully interrupted before Troy could say any more. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out several of the items in question.

"You brought timers?" Troy gasped in surprise. "What were you planning on doing with them?"

"Diversions." Tully answered simply.

"Diversions?" Troy repeated. "Did you happen to bring any explosives to detonate?"

"Yeah… I did." Tully responded. "I figured we'd need some type of distraction to get Hitch out of here. If he's hurt bad we might have to carry him out and that slows us down."

"What made you think we might have to carry him out?"

Tully looked Troy in the eye defiantly. "I heard you and Doc talking by the jeeps earlier. You heard him screaming… I heard you say it." Tully added as Troy began to shake his head.

"It was two or three cries spaced out over several hours. Not screaming, just a few cries."

"Just the same, he has to be hurting or he wouldn't have yelled." Tully insisted. "I brought the timers and explosives so we could create a diversion and get him out."

Troy closed his eyes and nodded. "You're right Tully, he probably is hurt. The explosives are a good idea, I'm glad you brought them."

Tully accepted the sergeant's admission with a nod. "Do you want me to set the timers?"

Troy nodded. "Give us thirty minutes but don't arm them until we're ready to get out of this truck."

"Perhaps you should make it forty-five minutes." Moffitt suggested. "We have further to go and there will be more foot traffic than we were expecting."

"Forty-five minutes." Troy corrected.

Tully nodded wordlessly and got to work. He was tucking the explosives between the boxes where they wouldn't be easily spotted when they heard voices approaching.

"Hide!" Moffitt hissed.

All three of them ducked as the tarp was thrown aside and two German soldiers reached up to drop the tailgate. The hidden men barely took a breath as the two Germans bent down and lifted a box from the ground behind the truck. Grunting with effort they placed the box on the tailgate. Using their combined strength, they shoved the heavy box into the rear of the truck, filling up most of the empty space on the floor. One of the Germans nodded at the other before lifting the tailgate and latching it into place. The second soldier nodded, smiled at his friend, and walked away. The first soldier pulled the tarp back into place, covering the tailgate.

Troy glanced over at Moffitt and grinned.

"The charges are set Sarge." Tully whispered.

"Okay, be ready to arm them, maybe that box is all they needed."

"I'm ready Sarge."

They fell silent again as they waited to see what would happen next. The wait was a short one. The truck rocked as the driver climbed back into the cab. The engine roared to life and the truck lurched forward. Once again they found themselves headed for an unknown destination.

Moffitt crawled out of his narrow space and sat on the new box. Leaning forward he could see through the slit he had cut in the tarp. He watched anxiously as the truck passed building after building. He tried to orient himself by picturing the base, as they knew it, in his mind. The twists and turns the driver was making in the dark made it hard to determine which direction they were traveling. Finally the truck slowed as the driver pulled up behind a long line of similar trucks.

"They're loading the trucks for a convoy." Moffitt whispered.

"We have to get out of here before it leaves." Troy warned. "Once it leaves the base we don't know when we'll get another chance."

"I don't think they're leaving right away." Tully whispered. "The drivers are gathering over next to that building and just standing around."

"Perhaps waiting for the convoy commander." Moffitt suggested. "They may not have long to wait."

"Where are the drivers?" Troy asked Tully.

Tully pointed in their direction.

"Is there anyone on the other side?"

Tully took a quick look through the slit in the tarp on the other side. He turned to look toward Troy as he shook his head.

"Can we get out over the side?"

Tully looked again and nodded.

"Moffitt, let's move!"

Troy and Moffitt lifted the tarp just enough to slip through. They dropped to the ground in a crouch and checked to make sure that they hadn't been spotted. They heard Tully moving quietly inside and then he dropped to the ground between them.

Troy took the lead and headed for the shelter of an alley. He didn't slow his pace until the darkest shadows had swallowed them up. Halfway along the alley he paused and pressed his body against the wall. "Any idea where we are?"

"The motor pool is around here somewhere." Tully whispered.

"Where?"

The private shrugged in answer. "I don't know but I smell motor oil and gasoline; I'd recognize those smells anywhere."

Troy sniffed the air and caught the odors Tully mentioned, odors he hadn't noticed until Tully brought them to his attention.

"It seems like the wind is coming from that way so the motor pool must be over there somewhere." Tully reasoned.

"If we find the motor pool can you find the headquarters building?" Troy asked Moffitt.

"I think so."

"Then you take the lead and we'll follow you." Troy glanced at his watch. "We have forty-five minutes until that truck explodes." Then he looked up at the sky. "Let's hope those clouds don't blow over before we find itchand et him out of here.

Hitch and get out of here."

Moffitt and Tully looked up at the clouds. They were noticeably thinner than they had been earlier in the night. The moon was still covered but there was no guarantee that that would remain the case.

"This way." Moffitt took the lead and Tully brought up the rear.

Moving as silently as the shadows they used for cover the three men made their way across the base. Moving quickly, they all concentrated on listening for any sound that would warn them that they were about to run into trouble. They heard soldiers walking the streets, the guards walking their posts, and voices raised in rowdy conversation. What they didn't hear was the convoy leaving. And, thankfully, they didn't hear any more of the haunting cries.


	5. Chapter 5

**Family Care**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 5

Mark Hitchcock pulled at the ropes holding his wrists to the table. He'd already tried the ones holding his ankles numerous times to no avail. The knot on his right wrist gave just the tiniest bit and he concentrated on it desperately.

The German officer had ordered him locked in a cell when he first arrived and Hitch had hoped that the talk of interrogation had just been a ploy to frighten him. He hadn't liked the look in the officer's eyes when he talked about the previous prisoners. Hitch had taken the opportunity to get some much needed rest while he waited to see what would happen next. He had been awakened from his nap by voices outside the window to his cell.

The German officer was examining the horses he had taken from the dead Arabs. His men led them around in circles while the major watched them move. Occasionally he would have one of them stopped so that he could run his hands over its body. One by one the animals were led away, some in one direction and some in the other. The officer seemed to be very impressed with one in particular. Hitch watched him examine the horse inch by inch, paying particular attention to the feet. Each hoof was picked up and inspected as if it was something fragile. When he finished the major had the horse taken in a third direction.

It wasn't until he had sent the last horse on its way that he turned toward the window where Hitch stood watching. The officer smiled at the sight of the prisoner watching him. With an order to his men the officer stalked off toward the front of the building.

Hitch saw the smile and tried to cover his reaction. The look on the Major's face made him suddenly feel cold. He turned away from the window and sat down on his cot. The guards came for him a short time later. He heard them marching along the hall long before they reached him. The sharp tap of their feet in unison was like a nightmare come true. All of the times he had been captured it had never been a good sign when the commander demanded such rigid discipline. When they reached his cell they had been all business, quickly securing his hands and shoving him out into the hall. The march to the interrogation room was done in perfect precision. Hitch dragged his feet just for spite.

He suspected that the Major might have a cruel streak and the actions of the guards only enforced that theory. They continually looked around before daring to relax even a little bit. He already knew that he wasn't to be trusted after the incident with the Arabs. Many of the clerks they passed turned away and lowered their eyes rather than look at him as he was marched past. A few of them gave him sympathetic looks or looked uncomfortable as the guards rushed him along the hall. The guards bulled their way past anyone they met as if they were afraid to keep the Major waiting.

Hitch did a quick guess at the time. If he was right there was still several hours of daylight left. He knew he couldn't expect any help before dark, if then. He didn't even know if the others had been able to figure out what happened to him. The attack had been so unexpected that he hadn't had any time to try to warn the others. He had sensed a movement behind him and the world had gone dark. He woke up tied to the horse following the Arabs across the desert. He knew, given time, they would find him. He just didn't know if he could hold out until that time. He hoped that he would be able to endure whatever was to come until the others arrived.

The interrogation room looked similar to others he had seen. Like many of them it contained a single piece of furniture in the middle of the room. It was the choice of furniture that presented the main difference. Usually there would be a sturdy wooden chair where prisoners would be tied during the questioning. Once in a while there would be a hook in the ceiling where a prisoner could be suspended with his toes just touching the floor. But this room was slightly different. This room contained a heavy wooden table about eight feet long. There were ropes attached to each leg and arranged on the tabletop so that they were within easy reach. The table itself had only a few dark stains from the previous prisoners. Hitch assumed that some of them might have been wounded. The ropes, on the other hand, were stained dark with blood.

Hitch was escorted to the table and ordered to climb onto it. His guards crowded around and pushed him flat once he was seated. The rope binding his wrists was undone and each wrist was secured above his head with the ropes attached to the table. He was pulled down the table until his feet stuck out over the edge. He expected them to tie his ankles but they surprised him when they started to unlace his boots. He tried to resist but they held on. First one and then the other boot was removed and tossed into a pile in the corner. Only then did they secure his ankles to the table. The ropes were pulled tight and double checked. As soon as he was secured the guards hurried from the room, leaving him alone.

Hitch twisted his head to look around the room. He noted where his boots had landed so he could find them in a hurry if the chance arose. The pile of abandoned boots in different sizes was a mute reminder that he was not the first to be brought to this room. He shivered as he thought of the other prisoners leaving without their boots. The image of the Major inspecting the hooves of the favored horse filled his mind. There had been something very deliberate about the inspection of the feet.

A sergeant stepped into the room and regarded Hitch with hooded eyes. He made a careful inspection of the knots holding Hitch to the table. Satisfied that they would pass the Major's inspection, he stepped back to watch the prisoner. Looking toward the door, the sergeant moved closer to Hitch. Speaking in a soft, hesitant voice, he told him to keep his voice down.

Since he hadn't spoken Hitch was confused.

Keeping his voice low the sergeant leaned toward Hitch. "I would suggest that you tell the Major everything he wants to know."

Hitch shook his head no.

The sergeant sighed and glanced at the door again. "It is only a suggestion private, but take my advice, answer his questions. The Major has a very unpleasant way of convincing prisoners to talk."

"I can't do it." Hitch answered.

"Then prepare for the worst thing you can imagine and double it." The sergeant warned.

` "I guess I'll have to." Hitch answered. "Cause I can't tell him anything other than my name, rank and service number."

"You will tell him that," the sergeant answered, "and much more."

Hitch shook his head in denial but he was starting to have his doubts.

The sergeant looked at him with something like sympathy. "I wish you luck then, I have seen the others after the Major finished with them."

Hitch was about to answer when the sergeant stiffened and stepped away from him. Footsteps in the hall drew closer and paused in front of the door. Hitch tried to twist around to see who was coming.

"Is something wrong Sergeant?"

"No sir, I was just checking the ropes to make sure they were secure Major."

"Are they?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, then we can begin."

The Major stood just inside the door. In his right hand he held the leather riding crop he had been carrying earlier when he greeted the Arabs. As he stood and looked at Hitch he idly slapped the leather whip against the side of his leg. His eyes jumped from Hitch to the door. "Has the sergeant been telling you about my interrogation methods?"

The sergeant struggled to keep a straight face but the Major had eyes only for Hitch.

Hitch kept his mouth shut.

"No?" The Major smiled. "Then perhaps I should explain." The Major continued. "You see Private; I come from an old German family. We have been known for generations for our horses; we breed, train, and show them." He nodded toward the sergeant. "Ask the sergeant, he knows how I feel about the horses I keep."

"He spends countless hours training them to do whatever he asks of them." The sergeant confirmed. "In the end they always obey his every command, even the high spirited ones."

"I'm not a horse." Hitch responded.

"No, you are not." The Major agreed. "But I have discovered through repeated experimentation that the same methods work on humans. In the end, they all give me what I want." The Major glanced toward the pile of boots.

"I suggest that you give it some thought." The sergeant urged when the Major paused.

"Can't." Hitch answered.

"Sergeant, leave us." The Major ordered.

Looking relieved the sergeant hurried out the door and closed it behind him.

"Now it is just us." The Major observed. "Are you comfortable?" When Hitch didn't answer the officer shook his head. "I guess it doesn't matter, soon you will be in too much pain to be comfortable." The Major walked around the table and examined the knots on each wrist and ankle. "Very good, I think we are ready. Are you ready Private?" He smiled when Hitch didn't respond.

Slapping his leg with the riding crop, the officer walked to the foot of the table and stopped.itchHitch H

Hitch raised his head to keep an eye on him.

"As I said Private, I have discovered that some methods work as well on humans as they do on horses." He paused to study his prisoner. "Do you know one of the weakest points on a horse?"

Hitch shook his head, trying to keep the major talking and delay the inevitable.

"Their feet." The Major explained. "If something happens to their feet they are helpless. They can't move around. They can't run or protect themselves. If a horse's foot is badly damaged they will lie down to take the weight off of the other feet. Hurt all four of their feet and they just give up and die. Once they are down they lose the will to live."

"I don't have four feet and I'm not a horse." Hitch repeated.

"True." The officer agreed. "You aren't a horse, and it's also true that you don't have four feet. But the two feet you do have are important to your well-being, don't you agree?"

Hitch shifted uneasily as the officer bent for a closer look at his bare feet.

"As with a horse, you won't be able to walk, stand, or move around if something were to happen to your feet."

"But I won't lie down and die because of it." Hitch argued.

"Won't you?"

"No."

"I guess we shall see." The Major suggested. "Perhaps it is time we got started."

"No rush, I'm not in any hurry."

The Major laughed. "A sense of humor. I wonder how long that will last. This is going to hurt me worse than it does you Private, or maybe not."

"I'm guessing not." Hitch answered as he braced himself for what was to come.

The first hit sent pain all the way up his left leg. He bit his lip to keep from yelling. The coppery taste of blood flooded his taste buds. Before he could relax from the first strike the second one sent red hot arrows shooting up his right leg. One foot and then the other felt the bite of the crop rhythmically for the next ten minutes. Hitch was gasping for breath by the time the Major paused.

"How does that feel Private?"

"It tickles." Hitch managed to gasp.

The Major smiled. "Perhaps you would like a little more encouragement?"

"Is that what you call it?" Hitch asked in as normal a tone as he could manage.

"Of course." The Major answered. "I want something from you and you don't want to give it to me. In order to get you to cooperate I need to offer some encouragement."

"I could do without the encouragement. It won't work anyway." Hitch insisted.

"You are already struggling to breathe through the pain. Imagine what it will feel like after an hour of this, two hours, a day."

"No thanks." Hitch replied. He let his head drop to the table, too tired to hold it up any longer. His eyes slid shut as he involuntarily did what the Major suggested; he imagined the pain after an hour. It wasn't a pleasant thought. The pain was bad now; he couldn't picture it after a day.

"Tell me what I want to know." The German urged.

"No."

The Major nodded. "Very few of those that I have questioned have given in this soon. I had hoped that you would be one of those though. I really hoped to get a chance to try out that new horse today."

"Go ahead Major, maybe you'll fall off and break your neck, save us both a lot of trouble."

The Major responded by hitting the sole of Hitch's left foot again. The beating continued for the next three hours paused only when the Major stopped to ask questions or when Hitch passed out. His periods of unconsciousness were getting longer in duration and occurring more frequently. The pain had long ago covered his body in a fine sweat and as the sun set and the air cooled he began to shiver uncontrollably. His teeth chattered so hard that he could no longer repeat his name, rank, and service number in a manner that could be understood. Finally, after he had passed out for the third time in less than an hour, the Major decided to call it a night.

"That's enough for tonight Private." The Major told a totally exhausted Hitch. "I will have my men take you to your cell so that you can try to rest."

The prisoner groaned in relief.

"I know." The officer said in a soothing tone. "Rest will be hard to come by with these feet, but you must try. We will begin again tomorrow."

Hitch groaned again.

"I can't understand you Private; is there something you want to tell me?" The Major leaned closer so he could hear if Hitch spoke. Hitch turned his head away. The Major sighed, "You are a stubborn one. But don't worry Private, we have plenty of time and I will break you eventually." The officer shook his head sadly. "The trouble is, you usually have to break the stubborn ones, they just aren't trainable." The officer smiled. "Oh I know that some people say that isn't so but I have found it to be the truth in my experience. The problem is, once you break them you destroy their spirit, the very thing I most valued in the beginning. I've had to destroy more than one fine animal because its spirit was broken."

"I'm not an animal." Hitch managed.

"Ah, there it is, that proud spirit! You aren't broken in spirit yet, but there is still more to come. Give me time Private, I will break you yet."

Hitch closed his eyes and shut out whatever else the Major had to say.

A moment later he felt hands untying the ropes that held his wrists. He tried not to scream as they moved his feet to get to the knots. He cried out once before giving in to the darkness that rushed to meet him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Family Care**

By: AliasCWN

Chapter 6

As they neared the building housing the German headquarters Troy signaled a halt. Ducking into a narrow space between two buildings, he pulled the others in after him.

Moffitt glanced swiftly around to check the position of the guards before allowing himself to be drawn into the small space next to Tully.

"We'll go around the back." Troy whispered. "He's probably on one of the lower floors; the commander's quarters will be on the top floor."

"Most likely." Moffitt agreed. "Troy, I noticed that there are two guards who walk around the back as part of their patrol. And we can't rule out the possibility of guards on the stable behind the building."

"Tully, you watch the guards on the stable if there are any. Moffitt and I will deal with the ones on this building."

Tully nodded.

"The guards might be missed if we kill them. They circle around the building as part of their pattern." A sound by the building alerted them to one of the guards Moffitt had mentioned.

Troy watched the guard circle around the back of the building and disappear into the alley toward the street in front. "I guess we'll have to wait for a chance to slip past them."

"What if we can't?" Tully asked.

Troy looked at Tully with a grim expression on his face. "Then we do whatever we have to do to get to Hitch."

Another scream echoed through the alley and all three men froze. Everything was deathly quiet as they listened to the reason they were in the alley in the first place. Troy shook with the effort to keep from rushing into the building despite the guards. Moffitt lowered his head and took several deep breaths to maintain his calm. Tully jerked and took a step toward the building.

"Tully!" Moffitt hissed.

Tully froze at the whispered command. He turned tortured eyes toward his companions, wondering how they could be unaffected. When he noticed their tense faces he relaxed slightly, secure in the knowledge that they weren't as unaffected as they tried to make it look.

The guards had turned to look as the cry echoed between the buildings. As it died away they hurried to continue their duties. Each one stepped a little faster as if trying to escape the fate of the unfortunate prisoner.

When the cry didn't repeat itself Troy took the window of opportunity presented by the distracted guards to move his small group to another alley closer to the back door. A stack of barrels filled with garbage provided their new shelter. From there they could see not only the back door but the guard at the stables too.

Tully crouched in the shadows and watched the guard by the stable door. The soldier, an older private, looked like he was half asleep. He was leaning against the stable wall with his rifle resting on his shoulder. Occasionally his head would bob, waking him up with a jerk. Each time his rifle would start to slide to the ground and he would have to catch it. And each time he would look around wildly to make sure no one had noticed. Tully watched him for several minutes, watching for a pattern they could use to their advantage.

After a while the guard began to relax as his lack of attention went unnoticed. Tully nudged Moffitt and pointed at the guard. The sergeant watched as the German soldier went through the entire sequence again. After a few more times the sleepy guard decided to take a walk to wake himself up. Tully and Moffitt watched as he ducked into the alley next to the stables. A moment later they spotted the brief flare of a match in the dark alley. The glow of a lit cigarette made a tiny pin point of light that marked the guard's position.

Moffitt turned to tell Troy about the smoker but the other sergeant was watching one of the guards coming around the building. The guard passed, looked toward the stables, and took a second look. Moffitt could tell the moment the sentry noticed the other guard missing and just as easily pinpoint the exact moment he noticed the glow of the cigarette. The guard frowned, took a step toward the stable, and then stopped and shook his head. With another disapproving look toward the smoker the guard continued on his rounds.

Another cry broke the stillness and the guard paused to look in one of the windows. Drawing back he hurried around the front of the building.

Tully tried to ease his way to the window that had held the guard's attention. He felt Moffitt's hand on his arm just as Troy hissed his name. He turned and saw the same torment in the sergeant's eyes that he felt. Loosening his grip on his weapon he nodded and stepped back into the deeper shadows. Moffitt gently squeezed his arm before dropping his hand.

After the guard left Moffitt walked up to the door to look at the lock. To his surprise it opened easily under his touch. Suspicious of an unlocked door, they slipped into the building expecting a welcoming party. The hall they found themselves in was lit by several small, dim lanterns. At the other end of the hall was a brightly lit intersection where another hall led off to other rooms. They could hear voices coming from one of the rooms.

Suddenly Moffitt threw a hand out to stop the others. Motioning them back the way they had come they took shelter under a stairway that led to the upper floors. Troy wanted to know what was happening but the British sergeant urged them to be quiet.

The sounds of grunting came from the other hall and something bumped into the wall several times. Shuffling feet made their way along the length of the other hall and the three men could hear footsteps on a set of stairs.

Just as Troy was about to question Moffitt again they heard two sets of footsteps headed their way. Ducking deeper under the stairs they waited with their weapons ready. A German major and a sergeant walked shoulder to shoulder along the dim hall to the stairs where the three men hid. The major was speaking rapidly and the sergeant was nodding at whatever was being said. At the foot of the stairs the two men parted company with the sergeant retracing his steps while the major climbed the stairs to the second floor.

The three men heard a door open and close above them and a minute later a door at the front of the building opened and closed.

"Moffitt?" Troy whispered.

"They just moved Hitch to the cells in the basement." The British sergeant responded in a quiet voice. "The major told the sergeant to keep him alive and they will continue the interrogation in the morning."

"What else Moffitt?" Troy asked suspiciously. "I can tell by your face that there is more."

The other sergeant sighed. "The major said that his injuries will keep him awake tonight and he will be more cooperative in the morning. The major thinks that by morning Hitch will be begging for relief."

"Darn! What did they do to him?"

Moffitt shrugged. "They didn't say."

They fell silent again as the men who had taken Hitch to the cells emerged from the basement and left the building by the front door.

"Let's go." Troy growled angrily. "We're getting Hitch out of here."

"Troy." Moffitt reached out to stop the other sergeant. "If his condition is that bad we will have to carry him out of here. It's going to make it a lot harder to sneak past the guards. If the pain is bad enough he may accidently groan or scream and give us away."

"We'll deal with that if it happens." Troy responded, wondering if the Brit knew more than he was telling.

Moffitt nodded and dropped his hand, allowing Troy to lead the way.

With both halls now dim the three men were able to move a little quicker without worrying about running in to anyone. They easily found the door to the basement where the cells were located. Troy opened the door a crack, standing in front of it to block any light from the hall that might alert the guards below. They didn't need the extra precaution; the floor below was brightly lit.

There were no guards in sight as the sergeants crept down the stairs. Tully stayed on the upper floor to stand guard and warn the sergeants if anyone tried to enter the basement.

There was only one guard watching the prisoner, and he was watching the prisoner. He stood with his back to the stairs looking into the cell where Troy assumed Hitch was being held. Low moans escaped from the cell, echoing hollowly off of the walls of the detention area. Troy tried to shut out the sounds as he and Moffitt itch had been placed.

rushed silently toward the distracted guard.

They were almost upon him when the guard must have sensed something. He started to turn toward the stairs with a surprised look on his face. His rifle started to come up to point at the two sergeants as he opened his mouth to yell an alarm. Both sergeants threw their hands forward and two razor sharp knives flew through the air. The German guard gasped in shock as both weapons found their mark. Troy's knife sliced through his heart, stopping it immediately. Moffitt's hit his diaphragm, paralyzing his breathing. He sucked in one last breath but he couldn't push the air out again, silencing any warning he may have given. His eyes opened wide as he stared at the knife handles and slowly slid down the cell bars to the floor. Troy and Moffitt pulled his body to the side and retrieved their knives, wiping the blood on the German's uniform.

"Moffitt, find the keys!" Troy ordered as he turned to look into the cell. His driver was crumpled on the floor groaning in pain and oblivious to what was happening right outside of his cell. Troy looked for blood but there was very little, most of the damage was to his driver's feet. The soles of his feet were a mass of black and blue marks with some tearing of the skin. Hitch's eyes were closed but low moans issued from his lips. "Moffitt?"

"They aren't here Troy." Moffitt answered in a hushed voice as he bent over the guard's body. "They must keep them somewhere else!"

"Where?" Troy called urgently. "We don't have a lot of time here."

"I'll check the desk; maybe they have them in there." Moffitt stood up and sprinted the length of the room to the desk where the guard usually sat.

Troy could hear him digging through the desk drawers and silently urged him to hurry. It was obvious they were going to have to carry Hitch from the base. Even if he were awake he could never walk on those feet. Troy took another look at the feet and wondered if they were going to have to gag his driver to keep him from crying out as they moved him.

"I found them!" Moffitt cried triumphantly as he ran back toward Troy. "They were in a drawer." He explained as he handed the ring of keys over Troy's shoulder. He looked past Troy to peer into the cell. His breath caught at the sight of Hitchcock's feet. "We'll have to carry him all the way Troy. There's no way he'll be able to walk on those feet."

"I know." Troy growled as he fumbled with the keys. The tumblers clicked and the lock opened as he looked over his shoulder at Moffitt. "I think you're right, were going to have to gag him if we want to get out of here undetected."

Moffitt nodded and slipped past Troy to enter the cell first. He knelt and quickly examined the private's feet. "The whip was used mostly on the soles of his feet, not much on the top. Both feet are swollen and the swelling goes up both legs. We'll have to be careful carrying him."

"I'll carry him, you and Tully cover us." Troy growled gruffly.

Moffitt nodded. "If you get tired we'll switch so no one slows us down."

Troy's eyes rose to look at Moffitt but he didn't acknowledge the offer. Moffitt stepped back and Troy was reaching for his driver when they heard a warning from Tully.

"Someone's coming!"

"Quick, get the body into the cell." Troy rose and spun in one quick move and rushed out into the hall. Grabbing the dead guard by both arms he yanked him into the cell and dropped him along a wall.

Moffitt stepped out of the way and quietly closed the door behind Troy and the dead German. Making a dash for the stairs he hugged the wall around the corner and waited to see who came down the stairs.

The door at the top of the stairs opened and a voice called down from above. "Hansel?"

Moffitt grunted a muffled reply in German.

The person at the top of the stairs started down. Moffitt pulled his knife and tensed, ready to jump out and surprise their unwelcome visitor. He heard a thud and a body tumbled down the steps.

"All clear." Tully called from above.

Moffitt stepped around the corner to find the German sergeant sprawled on the floor at the bottom of the steps. Feeling for a pulse he found a slow, steady one. He looked up and saw Tully watching him. "He's still alive Tully; I'll tuck him into the cell with the guard."

Tully didn't reply as he watched the sergeant drag the limp body toward the cell.

Once he had the unconscious German in the cell Moffitt used his boot laces to tie his hands and feet. He used a kerchief he found on the dead guard to make a gag. He looked at the unconscious man's boots and considered taking them for Hitch but thought better of it. Hitch wouldn't be wearing boots for quite some time and they didn't need the extra baggage to carry.

Thinking of Hitch he pulled his ascot off of his neck to form a gag for their wounded member. He turned to find that Troy had already taken care of that little detail.

Troy was kneeling next to his unconscious driver looking impatient. "Ready?"

"Ready." Moffitt confirmed. "I'll lead, you follow with Hitch, and Tully can bring up the rear."

Troy nodded and bent to lift his driver. Cradling the limp form against his chest he started for the stairs.

"Careful not to bump his feet." Moffitt warned as he locked the cell door and pocketed the keys.

Troy nodded grimly and gave the walls a wide berth.

They climbed the stairs and stepped through the door that Tully held wide for them. Tully took one look at Hitch's feet and bit his ever present matchstick in half. He allowed the sergeants to go ahead as he closed the door to the basement.

No one spoke as they hurried through the halls to the back door. Moffitt peeked out and smiled as the others watched him. He held up his hand to tell them to wait. A moment later he gave a nod and opened the door wide enough for Troy to pass through with his burden.

Troy froze as he stepped through the door and heard angry voices nearby. Moffitt saw him hesitate and motioned for him to hurry. Tully pulled the door closed behind them and looked toward the angry voices. The two guards who normally patrolled the headquarters were facing off with the guard Tully had seen smoking. They were making enough noise to cover any sound the Allied soldiers might make. Tully grinned and followed his sergeants into the darkness.

They paused twice while Troy shifted his grip on his driver but he refused to let anyone else carry him. Several times they had to duck and find cover while German patrols or off duty soldiers crossed their path.

Troy sighed in relief when the perimeter wall came into view.

"How are we going to get him over the wall?" Tully asked from behind them.

"We'll have to lift him." Troy responded.

"With the guards watching?"

"We don't have a choice Tully." Troy answered shortly, his worry plain in his tone.

Tully glanced at his watch. "That truck we wired should be going off in about five minutes. If we wait for that the guards might be distracted enough to get past."

"It won't be enough." Moffitt warned. "I think we're going to have to take out a guard to give us enough time. We'll have to be careful with him; we can't just throw him over."

"I'll do it." Tully volunteered. "You two get Hitch to the jeeps and I'll join you as soon as I can."

Troy looked down at the still form in his arms and shook his head. "We're not leaving anyone else behind."

"Troy." Moffitt argued. "If we're spotted leaving with Hitch we'll all be caught. Tully's staying behind to take out the guard is the best solution. He can be right behind us."

"I'll take him out when the truck explodes so they are all distracted. You and Doc can get Hitch over the wall while I take his place. I'll follow as soon as I know you're clear."

"All right." Troy relented. "But be careful and don't take any unnecessary chances."

"Right Sarge, no unnecessary chances." Tully repeated.

Troy gave his permission reluctantly and watched as Tully disappeared into the night. He almost called him back, some sixth sense warning him that things were not going to go as planned.

Hitch chose that moment to groan, the sound muffled by the gag.

"We need to knock him out Troy. We can't have him groaning at the wrong time."

Troy looked up at Moffitt and his expression showed exactly what he thought of the suggestion.

"It's that or risk capture." Moffitt told him. "I can do it if you don't want to."

"No!" Troy answered emphatically. "I'll do it." He said more quietly. Looking down at the pale form in his arms he gently lowered his driver to the ground. Kneeling next to him he carefully positioned him the way he wanted him. Raising one hand he gave him a carefully controlled chop to the nerve on the side of his neck. Hitch jerked at the blow and his head rolled to the side. Troy checked for a pulse and sighed when he found a steady one.

"It was necessary Troy." Moffitt assured him. "Hitch will understand. You can blame me if it helps."

"Blame you for what?" Troy whispered. "We're just trying to save him, right?"

"Right."

"Then there is nothing to apologize for is there?"

Moffitt studied the face of his friend and fellow sergeant. "We are saving him Troy, the best way we know how."

"How do we get into these messes Moffitt?"

The British sergeant shrugged. "Fortunes of war as Captain Dietrich likes to call them."

"Is our luck that bad?"

"It's not all bad; we have managed to get out of each of them so far. I'd say someone is looking out for us."

Troy would have said more but the German truck they had wired chose that moment to explode.

Moffitt looked around in time to see Tully jump the guard. Tully quickly stripped the body of its long coat, helmet, and rifle before dumping it over the wall on the desert side. Tully donned the disguise and gave Moffitt a quick salute.

"Time to go." Moffitt urged.

The two sergeants crossed to the lowest place on the wall and lifted Hitch's unconscious body to the top. Troy held him in place until Moffitt could climb up and secure him. Then Troy scrambled over the top and dropped to the other side. He reached up and took his driver as Moffitt lowered him to the ground. Moffitt dropped to the ground and the two men ran through the darkness to the hidden jeeps.

They uncovered both jeeps in preparation for a speedy getaway and Troy was pleasantly surprised to note that Tully had already prepared a bed for Hitch in the rear of his jeep. They got Hitch settled and Moffitt stayed with him while Troy went back to the top of the wadi to cover Tully if he drew fire.

The base was all lit up as the Germans investigated the explosion. Troy could see the guards on the wall looking toward the center of the base. He waited, expecting Tully to appear any minute. Tully didn't come.


	7. Chapter 7

**Family Care**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 7

"Where is he?" Troy paced the wadi and fumed. "I knew I shouldn't have let him stay behind."

"It's only been fifteen minutes Troy." Moffitt soothed. "Perhaps with all of the excitement he is having trouble slipping away."

"I'm going back for him."

"No." Moffitt argued. "Give him more time. Tully's smart, they won't take him without a fight and we haven't heard any shots. If you go back they will have two targets instead of one. Besides, if he did get caught they will be waiting for you."

"Then you do think he's been caught?"

"No!" Moffitt insisted. "You need to trust him Troy; he'll make it back as soon as he can. He may just need more time."

"I trust him Moffitt." Troy sighed. "It's just that I don't want him getting caught by that major. I don't want to have to carry Tully out of there too." Troy looked exhausted at the thought of carrying another one of his men off the German base. "I don't know if I could stand here and listen to his cries and have to wait another day to go get him."

"There is nothing to indicate that Tully has been captured or even detected." The British sergeant argued. "Until I hear shots I am going to believe that Tully is being careful and taking his time getting off of the base."

"I hope you're right." Troy answered. "Because the next time I see that major I'm liable to take a shot at him no matter how many guards are around him."

"I'd be more that glad to help if the chance arises."

"We can't." Troy groaned. "We have to think about Tully and Hitch. We have to get them safely out of there and back to the base. As much as I want him dead I have to think about Tully and Hitch first."

"Agreed." Moffitt nodded. "But there is always tomorrow. Sometime in the future we may get our chance." He added hopefully.

"I hope so." Troy admitted. "I really do." A low moan from the jeep transferred his attention from worrying about Tully back to his wounded man. "How's Hitch doing?"

Moffitt shrugged. "As well as can be expected. Both feet are badly bruised and you know how tender the sole of the foot is when you are used to wearing boots. The swelling extends well up his legs. I'll wager that he won't be walking comfortably for quite a long time. I gave him a shot of morphine to help with the pain."

"Can we take the gag out?"

"I'd prefer to leave it in." Moffitt looked uncomfortable with his decision. "I don't think he can moan loud enough to be heard but I don't want to take any chances since we need to be close to wait for Tully. If someone heard and came to investigate we'd be forced to move and Tully wouldn't know where to find us."

Troy agreed with the suggestion. "I don't want to have to hit him again."

"I don't think that will be necessary. The morphine should help keep him quiet. The gag is more of a 'better safe than sorry' scenario."

Troy nodded again and turned his attention back toward the base. Moffitt checked on Hitch again and tucked the blankets tightly around his still shivering body. Satisfied that he had done all he could for the moment, he picked up a machine gun and joined Troy to watch for Tully. They stood side by side and searched the desert between them and the base for any sign of their last team member.

Nearly ten minutes later Moffitt suddenly stiffened and pointed a finger toward the German base. "There! Someone just dropped over on this side of the wall."

"Where?" Troy demanded.

"Just to the right of where we crossed with Hitch." Moffitt pointed. "About twenty yards this side of the wall, see the darker shadow moving this way?"

After a moment Troy nodded his head. "Is Hitch ready to travel?" He didn't take his eyes from the shadow that they thought was Tully.

"All you have to do is start the jeep." Moffitt confirmed without looking at the other sergeant.

Neither man spoke again as the shadow moved closer. The base was starting to quiet down again after the excitement of the explosion. The lights that had been turned on in the confusion were already being extinguished to allow the base to hide in darkness. There was still a glow from the fire caused by the explosion but the German soldiers were getting it under control. The shadowy figure headed their way was outlined by the glow as he crested a small rise. Both sergeants relaxed as they recognized Tully's lanky form trotting toward them.

"Sarge?"

"Here Tully." Troy answered the low call.

Sirens began to blare as the search lights suddenly lit up the entire perimeter of the recently darkened base. Soldiers ran along the walls looking out into the desert where the lights extended. Looking back the three Allies could see men rushing to join the guards already on the walls.

"Let's go!" Troy urged. Spinning on his heels he was the first to reach the jeeps. He dropped his machine gun into the holder and slid behind the wheel. He had the jeep started and was ready to go before Tully was seated. "They must have found the soldiers we left in the cell." Troy glanced over as Moffitt climbed behind the 50. He waited as Tully's jeep jerked forward and led off into the desert. Troy looked over his shoulder at his passenger and eased his jeep out of the wadi at a slower pace.

They weren't followed so Tully took the time to pick the smoothest path for the two vehicles. Troy had them keep moving for over an hour, wanting to be sure that they were well clear of the base. He had Tully keep a slow pace that grated on all of their nerves but no one complained. After the first couple of miles Troy stopped long enough to remove the gag from his driver's mouth. Hitch's low moan accompanied every bump he hit with the jeep.

"Troy! There's a good place to camp about a mile ahead."

Moffitt's call was a relief to Troy who was grimacing with every moan from the rear of his vehicle. Waving Moffitt on he gave his permission to halt at the campsite.

"Troy, I think you should wait here."

"What?" Troy shook his head to clear it. His concern for his injured man had his thoughts wandering and it took a moment to understand what Moffitt was saying.

"The Germans are almost certainly aware of the location too and I think Tully and I should go ahead and make sure its empty before you bring Hitch close."

Troy agreed partially. "You go ahead but I am going to follow at a slower pace. I want to get Hitch someplace where we can let him rest."

"We'll come back to meet you as soon as we know it's safe."

Troy watched them speed off before halting his jeep to check on his passenger. Hitch was tossing restlessly and had dislodged the blankets. Troy tucked them around him again and felt his forehead. The heat radiating off of his driver's skin worried him. With a sigh he climbed back into his seat and followed the tracks left by the other jeep.

The clouds had cleared and the velvety black of the night sky was sprinkled with tiny pin points of light that sparkled down on the quiet desert. Troy sometimes found it hard to associate the horrors of war with the serene natural beauty of the North African desert. A night like this one should have been spent enjoying the quiet tranquility of the desert but here he was fleeing the brutality of man upon man. A moan from the back only added to the contrast between reality and what should have been. The quiet sound of a motor drew nearer and he drove on to meet it.

"All clear." Moffitt called when they were close enough to talk without shouting.

"Can we build a fire for Hitch?" Troy asked as he listened to his driver's teeth chatter in the cold desert air.

"Yes." Moffitt assured him. "There's no water but can get by with what we are carrying. Tully and I will gather some wood and dry brush along the way; most everything there has been burned already."

Troy agreed but he found himself fidgeting at the delay. He was about to declare that they had enough when Moffitt beat him to it.

"That should do it." Moffitt announced. "Tully and I will go in first to make sure that no one moved in while we were gone."

Troy had to force himself not to chaff at the delay.

Once the camp was declared clear for the second time Troy pulled in with his jeep. Moffitt was already unloading the firewood getting ready to build a small fire. Tully helped Troy get Hitch settled on some blankets near their future fire while Moffitt prepared to light it. A low moan escaped from Hitch's lips as the blankets were tucked around his legs.

"I thought you said the morphine would help with the pain." Troy growled as another moan escaped.

"It has helped Troy, without it he wouldn't be able to rest at all."

"He's not resting Moffitt!"

"It's the weight of the blankets on his feet and legs." The British sergeant explained. "The weight is causing him pain but if we uncover his legs he'll get chilled even worse than he is already."

"My uncle had a sore toe once, something called gout." Tully spoke softly from behind Moffitt.

Moffitt turned to look over his shoulder at the lanky private. "It's the same principle." He nodded. "Gout is an inflammation of the joint that causes excruciating pain, especially when you put any weight on it. Basically the same thing is occurring here. The thing to do would be to keep the blankets off of his feet and legs but that would allow him to get cold. With the danger of shock we just can't risk it."

"My uncle didn't have to worry about shock but he sure shocked my aunt with his language when she tried to cover his toe. He howled like an old hound dog when she put even her lightest sheet on it."

Moffitt gave Tully a small smile. "I bet he did. I've heard it can be very painful."

"The point is Doc; my aunt came up with a homemade contraption that helped my uncle." Tully went on to explain. "She made this tent-like thing that kept the blanket up off of his foot but still kept him warm. Nights in the mountains of Kentucky in the winter can get pretty chilly too."

"What do you need to make it?" Troy asked, knowing that Tully wouldn't have mentioned it unless he thought there was a chance of it helping.

"I need some of that firewood and some rope."

"Take what you need." Moffitt told him. "We gathered plenty."

"I'll get some rope out of the jeep." Troy offered as he rose to do just that. When he returned with the rope he was carrying a machine gun. Tully was picking through the firewood to get what he needed. "Here's the rope. Take anything else you need. I'm going to go stand guard; if you need me just holler."

Tully nodded without looking up. Troy dropped the rope by his feet and headed for the top of the wadi. When he had the pieces he wanted Tully began to arrange them the way he wanted them. He laid them out carefully on the ground and cut short pieces of rope to hold them all together. Using a piece about four foot long as the main pole, he began to make legs to hold it off of the ground. He made a set of legs for each end and a set for the middle. He added a third leg on the one end to help stabilize the whole thing. Each knot was pulled as tight as he could make it to keep the legs from shifting. He worked diligently to finish and failed to notice the fond smiles that Moffitt sent his way as he watched him work. With the last knot secured Tully rose to try out his handiwork.

"Let me help you Tully." The British sergeant offered. Removing the blanket from Hitch's legs, they precisely placed the firewood frame over the lower half of his body. Moffitt placed the blanket over the frame and Tully helped him arrange it. Tully used rocks to hold the edges in place so that the air couldn't get under it. When they finished they stepped back to study the results.

"That should do it Doc." Tully drawled with satisfaction.

"I believe you are right Tully, that should do it indeed." The sergeant stood back and admired the tent formed by the frame. "Very nice Tully." The sergeant praised. "It keeps the weight of the blanket off of his legs but keeps the heat in. When Hitch wakes up I'm sure he will be most grateful."

"Huh." Tully grunted. "When he wakes up I doubt he'll be thinking about anything like that." He huffed. "But that's okay, I didn't do it for the gratitude. I did it because Hitch is family and I could help. I was always taught to take care of family and that is what I am trying to do. I just want to do what I can; I wasn't much help back there at the campsite when he got caught."

"You did what you were supposed to do." Moffitt argued. "It could just as easily have been you that was taken."

"Yeah, but it wasn't."

"And that wasn't your fault!"

"It doesn't come down to who is to blame." Tully answered sadly. "Hitch is hurt and it's up to us to get him to a hospital. That's the important thing now. We have to take care of each other because we are all we have, each other."

"We also have to take care of ourselves." The sergeant pointed out. "Why don't you try to get some sleep? You have next watch and you need to drive in the morning."

Tully nodded silently and went to get his blankets. He dropped them on the ground next to where Hitch was finally sleeping somewhat peacefully. After arranging the blankets to his satisfaction he crawled into them and reached out to touch the other private lightly on the arm. "You sleep now Hitch, we'll take care of you." Hitch moaned and moved restlessly under the makeshift tent. Tully checked to make sure the blankets were still tucked in before rolling in his own and going to sleep.

When Troy woke him to stand guard he glanced over at the sleeping blond. Hitch was covered in his own blankets and lying on some others. "Are those your blankets he's sleeping on?" Tully asked.

Troy nodded. "One is an extra one but he needed more than that so I gave him mine." Troy looked up and smiled. "I'll be okay; I probably won't sleep much anyway."

Tully rolled out of his blankets and handed them to the sergeant. "Take mine; I won't be needing them for few hours. When I wake Moffitt I'll borrow his for the rest of the night."

"Thanks Tully." He glanced at Hitch. "He had me worried for a while but it looks like he's sleeping better now."

Tully nodded. "Until we move him in the morning."

"There is nothing we can do about that Tully. Moffitt says he'll give him more morphine before we leave to keep him quiet. We're doing our best here Tully. We're going to take care of him."

"Yeah, like I told Doc, we have to take care of each other." Tully nodded at the blankets in Troy's hands. "You'd better wrap them around you before they cool down; I have them all warmed up for you."

Troy chuckled and wrapped the still warm blankets around his shoulders. "Thank you Mother."

Tully smiled and ambled off to take over guard duty for the next three hours.

"Hey Tully." Troy called after him. Tully turned around to look back. "What took you so long to get off of the base?"

Tully looked around their small camp as he answered. "After the explosion some officer came up and pointed at some of us and began waving his hands. I was one of them he pointed at so I followed the rest of them when they left. I guess we were supposed to find out what was going on. I followed them toward the fire until I got a chance to slip away. There were soldiers running everywhere so I had to be careful sneaking back. I did what I had to do and then I rejoined you."

"You had us worried for a bit, we thought we were going to have to carry you out of there too. We thought that major got you."

"Never going to happen Sarge so you can quit worrying about that." Tully turned to leave but turned back. "How is everything out there Sarge?"

"Quiet as a church on Sunday."

"No tumbleweeds?"

"None that I saw."

"Good, I can use a quiet night."

Troy saw Tully grimace as he remembered Hitch saying the same thing when he took over the guard the night before. Troy didn't know the reason but he noted Tully's reaction.

"You Okay Tully?"

Tully kept looking the other way as he answered. "That major deserved to die, not only because of what he did to Hitch, but for the other's he's killed too. There's no way Hitch was the first one he's tortured like that."

"I doubt that Hitch was the first, it looked like he had had lots of practice before Hitch. Unfortunately Hitch probably won't be the last. There are some things we have no control over. Moffitt and I are hoping for another chance at him, we won't let him get away again. We just don't want to risk anyone else getting caught if we can help it. We were worried."

"Sorry Sarge, but it isn't going to happen." Tully began to walk away and this time Troy let him go.

Troy paused near his driver and checked the blankets.

"How is he?"

Troy looked over as Moffitt pulled his blankets below his chin. He glanced at his driver again and shrugged. "He seems to be sleeping easier."

Moffitt smiled. "Tully's idea helped."

"You mean his aunt's idea? If it works so well maybe she should have patented it."

Moffitt smiled at the reminder. "Well, since we're all family I guess we're just keeping it in the family."

"Tully's hiding something."

The British sergeant sobered immediately. "About what?"

"I don't know." Troy shook his head. "Something is bothering him about what happened to Hitch." Troy guessed. "But unless it starts to affect his duties I'm not going to push."

"Tully worries about all of us." Moffitt stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, about that." Troy continued. "He said we never had to worry about that major catching him. He made it sound like he meant any of us but he must have meant him."

"He can't promise that with any degree of certainty." Moffitt answered.

Troy shook his head and rolled up into Tully's blankets. "He sounded pretty darn sure."


	8. Chapter 8

**Family Care**

By:AliasCWN

Chapter 8

The ride back to the base was unpleasant for all four men. The bouncing of the jeep would send Hitch into fits of moaning while the others were forced to listen while knowing there was nothing they could do differently. Hitch was unconscious when they pulled through the gates of the base so he was the only one who didn't sigh with relief.

They dropped Hitch off at the hospital and Troy and Moffitt immediately went to report to Captain Boggs. Troy nabbed a passing soldier to help Tully get the jeeps to the motor pool. The sergeants gave the Captain a hurried verbal report so that they could get to the hospital to check on Hitch, but as fast as they were, Tully was faster. He was pacing outside of the hospital when they got there.

"Any news Tully?"

"Nothing yet."

"It may take a while Troy, they may have had to take x-rays." Moffitt cautioned.

"What did the Captain say?" Tully asked as the sergeants settled in to wait.

"About what?" Asked Troy.

"About killing that major."

Troy and Moffitt exchanged looks. "He said we could kill him if our paths cross again but he doesn't want us to go looking for him. He says we can't let it get personal."

"It is personal Sarge, it's about family."

"Not according to the Captain."

"But he doesn't care if that kraut dies?"

"Not as long as we don't make a special trip to go find him." Troy responded.

"I don't need to go after him Sarge."

Troy glanced at Moffitt, Tully wasn't making much sense. He was going to ask him to explain but Tully chose that moment to say he was going to go find a nurse to tell him what was going on. The private came back a few minutes later to say that there was still no news. All three men waited in silence, lost in their own thoughts until the doctor finally came out to talk to them.

"Sergeant Troy?"

"That's me." Troy stepped forward anxiously.

"Private Hitchcock will recover Sergeant. His feet are badly bruised and they will be tender for quite a while but nothing is broken. The other injuries are minor. He has a bump on his head and some bruised ribs. The swelling in his feet and legs is our most pressing concern. We gave him something to help him sleep and we are watching him closely for the time being. He's going to be out of action for some time. Walking is going to be painful even after the coloring from the bruises goes away. Wearing boots will be difficult too." The doctor looked over their heads to stare off into the desert. "I just don't have any clue how someone could do something like that to another human being, enemy or not." He looked back at Troy and smiled and the exhaustion on his face seemed to lift for just a second. "At least now your private can rest and start to heal. Not all of us have that option. If you get the chance I would suggest that all three of you try to get some rest too, speaking as a doctor of course."

"Can we see him?"

"After you've all had some rest Sergeant."

Troy turned to glance at Moffitt and Tully. Their faces reflected his own feelings on the matter. "Doctor, I think we would all sleep a lot better if we could see him for just a minute."

The doctor looked into their worried eyes and relented. "Just for a minute Sergeant, then I want all of you to hit the sack. I've got enough patients to keep me busy without you three driving yourselves to exhaustion too."

"Just a minute Doctor and then we'll go to sleep."

The doctor led the way across the hospital to where Hitch lay sleeping. A young nurse was sitting by the bed and rose as they approached. "This will be his private nurse for the rest of the night." The doctor explained.

"Hitch will be upset to find out that he had his own personal nurse and he slept right through it." Tully drawled with a smile.

Moffitt and Troy laughed with relief and at the truth of the statement. The doctor looked at them with a question in his eyes.

"Hitchcock is our ladies' man." Troy explained with a smile.

"Well at least I know he won't be chasing my nurses around for a while." The doctor smiled down at his patient. "Once he starts getting around I'll have to keep my eye on him. Just a minute Sergeant. then off to bed for all of you." The doctor reminded them. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Thank you Doctor." Troy called softly so he wouldn't wake the patients sleeping in the nearby beds. Turning back to the bed the sergeant smiled at the homemade tent frame that held the weight of the blankets off of his driver's legs. "Hey Tully, they used your idea to keep the weight off of his feet."

"Doctor Wright said a soldier suggested it and even made it or him." The nurse explained. "Was that you private?" The nurse looked at Tully expectantly.

"We used something like it at home for my uncle." Tully explained with a shrug. "I made it so Hitch could rest easier."

"It's a marvelous idea." The nurse smiled. "Doctor Wright was impressed."

"Anything to help Hitch." Tully responded. "We take care of each other."

"Well I think he'll rest much better with it than without it." The nurse agreed. She stepped aside and let the three men say their goodnights to the sleeping private. She watched as they shuffled out of the ward and off to their beds.

The next morning found all three of them at the hospital but Hitch was still not awake.

"We're still giving him something to help him sleep." Doctor Wright explained when Troy asked about it. "In all honesty Sergeant, I hope to keep him asleep until the swelling goes down. He'll be much more comfortable then."

"How long will that take?"

"I can't say for sure, a day or two at the very least."

"Doctor, we have to go out on patrol again."

"Already?"

"Yeah, we got our orders at breakfast. Do you think you could let Hitch know that we will be back as soon as we can?"

"Of course Sergeant. I'll put a note in his chart so that the nurses know to tell him when he wakes up."

"We'll be back in a couple of days if all goes well."

"Good luck Sergeant."

Troy nodded at the doctor. "We'll be back."

 **Five days later:**

Troy and Moffitt walked into the hospital. They had dropped their report off with the Captain's aide since the Captain was busy elsewhere on the base. Tully and their replacement driver had dropped the jeeps off at the motor pool and Tully had gone directly to the hospital. He was walking up and down the aisle checking all of the beds when the sergeants arrived.

"What's going on Tully?"

"I can't find Hitch." Tully explained as he checked the next row of cots. "Somebody else is in his bed and I can't find him."

"There must be a perfectly reasonable explanation." Moffitt suggested as Troy began to search the room for the familiar blond head.

"Like what Doc? That doc said he'd be here for a while and it's only been five days."

"Why don't we find someone and ask them?"

Tully began marching toward the nearest nurse.

"Sergeant!"

Troy turned to see Doctor Wright striding into the room.

"Glad to see you made it back Sergeant. Private Hitchcock was starting to worry."

"Where is he?" Troy asked.

"He's not in his bed." Tully said at the same time.

The doctor smiled at the anxious faces. "No, we moved him to the next floor; this floor is for critical patients who need constant care."

"Then he's better?" Moffitt asked.

"Much better Sergeant." The doctor confirmed. "The swelling is gone and the worst of the pain went with it. His feet are still sore and will be for some time but we are managing the pain so that it's bearable."

"You said we could see him when we got back." Tully reminded him.

The doctor smile again and handed the clipboard in his hand to a passing nurse. "Follow me; I'll take you to him."

Hitch saw them coming and his face lit up. The smile he gave them threatened to split his face in two. "Hey, where have you guys been?"

"Working." Troy growled. "Not all of us get to lie around and flirt with the nurses."

"I wasn't flirting Sarge." Hitch protested.

"Hitch!" Troy said sternly.

"Who was here Sarge, you or me?"

Troy sobered immediately at the tone of his driver's voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Hitch answered sullenly. "I just didn't feel like flirting."

"Come on Hitch, give." Troy ordered. He lifted his eyes until he met Moffitt's. The British sergeant looked concerned too.

Hitch began to shake his head. "Nothing is wrong Sarge. The doctors have the swelling down and the pain is bearable. It doesn't hurt too badly as long as I don't try to move my feet. They ached so badly before I couldn't sleep but they're better now."

"So what's bothering you?" Troy leaned closer but Hitch lowered his head. "Hitch, we don't have much time."

Startled blue eyes flashed to his face. "What do you mean Sarge?"

Troy looked at the others. "Captain Boggs is probably going to want us to go right back out again once he reads out reports."

"Right away?"

"More than likely." Troy confirmed with a nod of his head.

"You just got back!"

Troy raised an eyebrow at his driver's objections. "You know how it is Hitch."

Hitch dropped his head and nodded. "How long will you be gone?"

"As long as it takes. Hitch, I don't like the idea of leaving with this problem unresolved."

"What problem?"

"Hitch!"

The blond looked around to see if anyone other than his friends was close enough to hear what he said.

"Come on Hitch, talk to us."

"I keep seeing his face Sarge." Hitch almost whispered. "I know I'm safe, but I keep seeing his face. He enjoyed it Sarge, He kept telling me to resist so he could show me the things he learned from the others. And he's still out there and there will be others! It's not the pain that's keeping me awake, well at least not just the pain." He admitted. "Knowing that he's going to keep doing this to others is driving me crazy!"

"The Captain won't let us go after him." Troy explained. "You are safe here Hitch, he's not going to get his hands on you again."

"But what about the next guy, or the next?"

"We have permission to kill him if we run into him again." Moffitt explained. "We won't let him keep getting away with this if we can help it."

"That's all we can do for now." Troy continued. "Right now we have other problems to handle. Trust me; we're not going to forget this major."

"Me either." Hitch mumbled.

"Sergeant Troy?"

Troy turned to see one of the clerks from the Captain's office standing behind them. "What?"

The clerk blushed at the gruff tone. "The Captain wants to see you right away." He explained nervously.

Troy sighed and nodded. "All right, tell him we'll be right there."

The clerk nodded and hurriedly made his escape.

"We have to go but we'll deal with this when we get back." Troy gripped his driver's arm to get him to make eye contact.

"All right Sarge."

"I'll be right there." Tully called as the sergeants turned to leave.

"Don't be long." Troy warned.

Tully nodded and watched as they left the room.

` "You'd better go Tully." Hitch urged. "I'll be okay."

"In a minute."

Hitch dropped his head and his eyes fell on the tent frame structure that Tully had made for him. "Some pal I am, I didn't even thank you for this thing, or for saving my life."

Tully shrugged, struggling to find the words he wanted.

"They're going to have me use a wheelchair to get around until my feet heal. Doc said it could take a while. Captain Boggs said he could use me in his office until I can go back on duty." Hitch rambled on to fill the silence.

"That's good; you won't be stuck in bed."

"Yeah, I can't sleep anyway so why stay in bed?" Hitch mumbled miserably.

"Hitch, did you know that I took a guard's place and stayed behind on the base while Sarge and Doc took you to the jeeps?"

"No." The blond shook his head. "You risk your life for me and I didn't even say thank you."

"That's not what I'm getting at Hitch."

"Okay, what are you trying to tell me?"

"I was late getting back to the jeeps and Sarge and Doc were worried about me."

"I would have been too Tully."

"I know, and I feel bad about that. You see, I told Sarge that it was because I was one of the guards sent to investigate the explosion."

Hitch looked confused.

"That part was true." Tully went on. "But it wasn't the whole truth."

"I don't understand."

"You're family Hitch, and I was raised to take care of family."

"I appreciate that Tully, and I consider you family too, but what does that have to do with you being late getting back the jeeps?"

"That major, he really hurt you. After I left the wall I followed the others until I could slip away unnoticed. By that time I was real close to that major's quarters. I saw a lieutenant come running out of the building and there was a light on in the major's window."

"Tully, what did you do?" Hitch stared wide eyed at the other private.

Tully raised his head defiantly. "I slipped into the building and I marched up those steps. The Major's rooms were at the top of the stairs. I could hear him inside getting dressed."

Hitch was holding his breath as he listened.

"I knocked on his door." Tully continued. "And when he opened it I took care of family. He won't ever hurt you again Hitch, or anyone else for that matter."

"He's dead?"

"I met him with my knife drawn and I made sure he got my point about family, all of it. Then I shoved him back into the room, cleaned my knife, and left the room." Tully finished as he watched Hitch for a reaction.

Hitch leaned back in his bed and sighed. "He's dead. He can't hurt anyone anymore, he's dead."

"As dead as they get." Tully confirmed. "After I killed him I turned out his light, shut the door and walked away. I made my way back to the wall, climbed over it, and made my way back to the jeeps."

"Do Sarge and Doc know?"

"Nobody knows but me, and now you. Oh, the Germans know he's dead but they don't know who killed him. The way he acted it wouldn't surprise me if some of his own men didn't want him dead."

"Are you going to tell Sarge and Doc?"

"Only if they ask." Tully admitted.

Hitch nodded, relief plain on his face. "He's dead. Thanks Tully. I think that maybe I can sleep now. Tully…"

"Yeah?"

"If Sarge doesn't ask, it can be our little secret."

Tully smiled and rose to leave. "Sleep well Hitch." When he looked back before he left the room Hitch's eyes were already getting heavy.

Tully ran across the base to catch up with his sergeants. They were almost to Captain Boggs' office when he caught up to them.

"Is Hitch okay?" Troy asked as Tully fell into step.

"He will be." Tully answered. "He was almost asleep when I left."

"What did you say to him?" Moffitt questioned. "I thought he was having trouble sleeping."

"I told him we're family and we take care of family." Tully shrugged. "I guess it made him feel better."

Troy glanced over at Moffitt who looked back and shrugged. Just grateful that his driver was feeling better, Troy let the matter drop. He could always talk to Hitch later if the need arose. They had survived another crisis; Hitch would heal and rejoin them. Their replacement driver met them at the door of the Captain's office and they all went in together. Another day, another mission.


End file.
